TCU W Basketball

Former LSU guard Hailey Van Lith announced her decision to transfer to TCU on Friday in a post on X.

Following her lone season at LSU, she entered the transfer portal on April 4 after the Tigers' March Madness run ended following a loss to Iowa in the Elite Eight.

Van Lith's decision to transfer to TCU was initially reported on April 18, although she told Doug Feinberg of The Associated Press that she hadn't made an official commitment just yet on April 21.

After three seasons at Louisville in which her scoring average increased each year, she joined the Tigers following the team's title run in 2023. Despite playing alongside LSU standouts such as Angel Reese and Flau'jae Johnson, Van Lith struggled to maintain her efficiency at the new school.

Although she averaged 19.7 points per game while shooting 41.1 percent from the field in her final season with the Cardinals, her scoring average dropped to just 11.6 points each night on 37.8 percent shooting at LSU.

Her offensive output plummeted even further during the Tigers' March Madness run, shooting just 20 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from three in four contests while failing to record a double-digit scoring game.

A change of scenery could help her return to form, as the Horned Frogs are coming off a 2023-24 campaign that resulted in a 21-12 record. Guard Haley Cavinder was expected to join Van Lith at TCU, although she ultimately chose to return to Miami instead.

Still, the Horned Frogs should find themselves near the top of the Big 12 standings with their new transfer addition. Van Lith will be joining guard Madison Conner and center Sedona Prince at TCU, with both players averaging over 19 points per game during the 2023-24 season.

Even though there was some uncertainty regarding her decision to join head coach Mark Campbell's team, Van Lith has now officially confirmed the move.

Former LSU guard Hailey Van Lith has committed to TCU, according to The Next Hoops' Talia Goodman.

Van Lith entered the transfer portal after spending one season with the Tigers. She struggled with the transition to a point guard role in Kim Mulkey's offense. Her shooting (37.8 percent) and scoring (11.6 points) both fell well below the standards she had set at Louisville.

The hype surrounding Van Lith's original move to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was fully justified. As a junior at Louisville, she averaged 19.6 points and 3.2 assists and put up 20-plus points in each of the Cardinals' four NCAA tournament games.

Last September, ESPN's Michael Voepel projected the 5'7" playmaker to go fifth overall in the 2024 WNBA draft. Her stock steadily declined as the 2023-24 unfolded, though, to the point where she probably would've been a second-rounder at best if she had declared now.

The lasting image of Van Lith in an LSU uniform is of her getting torched by Iowa's Caitlin Clark in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament.

Heading west to TCU will allow her to write a different final chapter to her college career and perhaps put her back in the first-round conversation.

The Horned Frogs went 21-12 in Mark Campbell's first season as head coach, their most victories since 2019-20. They won their first 14 games before their roster was ravaged by injuries. A dearth of healthy players forced them to forfeit back-to-back contests in January.

Campbell was already set to return his three highest scorers, guard Madison Conner, center Sedona Prince and guard Agnes Emma-Nnopu. Guard Haley Cavinder will be suiting up as well after briefly stepping away from basketball. Add Van Lith to the mix and this should be a Top 25 squad.

And for Van Lith, thriving in a more secondary role than what she had at Louisville might actually benefit her from a WNBA perspective because teams would have a better idea that she can be effective on or off the ball.

Haley Cavinder announced Monday she's transferring from Miami to TCU for her final year of NCAA eligibility.

Haley and her sister Hanna said in April they were winding down their basketball careers to focus on other endeavors, including a contract with WWE. However, Haley said in October she was entering the transfer portal, a sign she intended to get back on a basketball court.

"I think ending it with Hanna and announcing that we were done and not going to take our fifth year, I felt—honestly, to be very transparent—a lot of pressure," she said to Forbes' Kristi Dosh.

Cavinder added that "there was nothing filling the love for the game," and she would've regretted it if she hadn't taken the opportunity to play for one more year.

TCU has already tipped off the 2023-24 season, opening with wins over Oral Roberts, Texas A&M-Kingsville and Rice. Because of that, Cavinder presumably won't join the Horned Frogs until the 2024-25 campaign, which was broadly her plan when she confirmed she was leaving Miami.

The 5'6" guard is bound to have a sizable impact. She was a three-time All-Mountain West honoree and the 2020-21 Mountain West Player of the Year during her three seasons at Fresno State. Her time at Miami was similarly fruitful.

Cavinder averaged 12.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game for the Hurricanes en route to being named to the All-ACC second team. Thanks in part to her contributions, Miami reached the Elite Eight for the first time in program history.

Cavinder's arrival might provide a boost beyond what she does on the court as well. She and Hanna have established a massive brand for themselves, and their reach extended beyond nearly every other college athlete.

Securing Cavinder's commitment will undoubtedly bring more exposure to TCU.