CHICAGO — Hailey Van Lith has her very own hype woman in Angel Reese.
The two played just one season together at LSU, but it was enough time to create a bond that’s continued beyond Baton Rouge. Might have played a role in the two reuniting with the Chicago Sky, too.
“Angel has always been a huge encourager for me,” Van Lith said Monday at the Sky’s media day. “Whenever I show any signs of self-doubt or questioning, she’s always the first person to basically tell me to snap out of it. And if I’m performing below my capabilities, she’ll hold me accountable and remind me who I am and who I’m supposed to be.”
Van Lith spent her first three years at Louisville, averaging more than 15 points a game and taking the Cardinals to the Final Four as a sophomore. She then transferred to LSU, and her lone year with the Tigers was a rocky one.
Van Lith had been the focal point of Louisville’s offense as a shooting guard, but LSU coach Kim Mulkey moved her to point guard. Her scoring, shooting percentage and rebounds dropped, and Van Lith got no shortage of grief from fans who didn’t realize she was being asked to play an unfamiliar position as well as taking on more of a supporting role.
But Van Lith earned Reese’s respect with her unselfishness and work ethic. Reese, meanwhile, impressed Van Lith with her confidence and strength.
“We share a lot of values, and we align on a lot of things that happen off the court and what we think the standard of your character should be,” Van Lith said. “… I just think that she goes about things the right way. And I don’t think that that is always the side of her that is publicized.”
While Reese went to the WNBA, where she led the league in rebounding and finished second to Caitlin Clark in Rookie of the year voting, Van Lith transferred to TCU for her final year. But the two kept in touch, and Reese made sure everyone was aware of the success Van Lith was having with the Horned Frogs.
When Van Lith was named MVP of the Big 12 tournament, Reese reposted a photo of her with the trophy with the caption, “So proud of you sis!” After Van Lith’s monster game against Notre Dame in the Sweet 16, Reese posted “HVL” and then followed up with her stats.
“We created a friendship. Obviously you don’t always get that when players transfer, (but) me and Hailey just continued to have that friendship,” Reese said Monday. “I used to text her after games and she would text me and just encourage me and I would encourage her.”
Reese did more than that. Leading up to last month’s WNBA Draft, Reese talked Van Lith up to Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca any chance she got.
“I was like, `If you want a dog, go get Hailey.’ And I kept telling him that,” Reese said. “You can see her grit, you can see how hard she works.”
When the Sky took Van Lith with the 11th pick, Reese was thrilled, posting “yes yes yes.”
WNBA rosters are notoriously tough for rookies to make — Shyanne Sellers, who was drafted six spots behind Van Lith, and 20th pick Bree Hall are among the players who’ve been cut — but the Sky believe Van Lith can be their point guard of the future.
Van Lith played in all three preseason games, averaging six points and 4.3 assists while committing just two turnovers. In the final exhibition game, she stripped Napheesa Collier and scored on a contested layup.
“Her biggest skill will be her ability to adjust. She had to assimilate (to new teams in college) and had success everywhere,” Pagliocca said. “She’s proven she can struggle and still come back and be productive.
“She’s about the right things,” he added. “Her fearlessness will carry her until she can adjust to our league.”
Van Lith will have plenty of help doing that, too. In addition to Reese, Van Lith will be playing behind, and learning from, Courtney Vandersloot, a two-time WNBA champion who is one of the best point guards in the league’s history.
Vandersloot returned to the Sky in the offseason after spending the past two years with the New York Liberty.
“If I could pick any vet in the league to play with my first year, it would be Sloot,” Van Lith said. “Just getting to watch and observe her. The way that she manipulates defenses and her patience and her pace are all things that are going to be very huge to my growth as a point guard in this league.”
Reese fell to the seventh pick last year because of uncertainty about how her game would translate to the pros. Rather than carrying a chip at being overlooked, she’s said often how glad she is to have landed where she did because Chicago is the best place for her.
The same can be said for Van Lith.
“I’m just super excited for her to be in the right place,” Reese said. “I tell players all the time, it’s about fit. Her being under Sloot, that’s the best thing possible for her. I’m just really excited to play with her.”
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
