Opinion: Louisville Women's Basketball Ex-Star Hailey Van Lith Would be Great Fit at Indiana

Louisville women's basketball guard and leading scorer Hailey Van Lith entered the transfer portal on Saturday. With the graduation of Indiana guard Grace Berger, Van Lith's similarities to her could fit well into both the Hoosiers' offensive and defensive system.

Indiana women's basketball had a record-breaking season as the program earned its best overall record at 28-4, won the first Big Ten regular season title in 40 years and earned its first NCAA Tournament one-seed. Looking forward to next season, Indiana needs a new point guard after the graduation of Grace Berger. Louisville guard Hailey Van Lith in the transfer portal shows similarities to Berger and could be the solution.

Van Lith announced her decision to transfer on Saturday after the Cardinals finished with a 26-12 season and advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament where they fell to eventual runner-up Iowa.

Mar 26, 2023; Seattle, WA, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Hailey Van Lith (10) dribbles the ball against Iowa Hawkeyes guard Kate Martin (20) and guard Caitlin Clark (22) in the first half at Climate Pledge Arena / © Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

In her junior season, the Wenatchee, Wash. native led her team with 19.7 points. In each of the four NCAA Tournament games, Van Lith scored over 20 points and capped off with 27 in the Cardinal's 97-83 loss to the Hawkeyes.

Meanwhile at Indiana, Louisville, Ky. native Berger contributed 17 points in each NCAA Tournament game before the Hoosiers fell to Miami 70-68 in the second round in her last game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall and in the cream and crimson.

With Berger and Alyssa Geary's graduation plus forwards Kiandra Browne and Mona Zaric entering the transfer portal, there's now scholarship spots left on the 2023-24 roster.

The Hoosiers have several options at point guard including veteran Chloe Moore-McNeil who slid over to the one position when Berger was out for six weeks with a right knee injury earlier last season. Indiana head coach Teri Moren said she was pleased with Moore-McNeil's offensive production as the guard finished the year averaging 9.5 points per contest.

Indiana also used then-freshman guard Lexus Bargesser at the point as she played 29 games for an average 2.1 points. Moren said at the time the team was grooming her to become a point guard. However, Van Lith's veteran experience at a high level could be what the Hoosiers need to reload rather than rebuild.

In her junior season at Louisville, Van Lith shot 41.1 percent from the field and 87.4 percent from the free-throw line. Her 4.5 rebounds per game and 138 total defensive boards show that she could buy into Moren's defensive-first system at Indiana while also being proficient from the field.

Like Berger, Van Lith isn't the best three-point shooter despite totaling the second highest number on the team going 58-for-198 for 29.3 percent from downtown. Berger went 11-for-27 for 40.7 percent from beyond the arc in her final season. Also like Berger, Van Lith shares the sugar well and recorded 119 assists on the season as Berger tallied 138.

Indiana's Grace Berger (34) passes around Tennessee Tech's Anna Walker (4) during the first round of the NCAA women's tournament at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Saturday, March 18, 2023 :: © Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

The one major difference is Van Lith stands at 5-foot-7 in contrast to Berger's 6-foot frame. However at the point, Van Lith's height hasn't proved to be a factor in her collegiate career.

Van Lith is listed as 'do not contact' according to OutKick, which means schools have to wait for her to reach out to them. This prevents countless schools from reaching out to the All-American honorable mention and allows Van Lith to essentially call the shots.

There has been zero indication of who Van Lith will meet with this offseason. Her consistency on both offense and defense could be a deadly combo with weapons like Indiana guards Moore-McNeil, Sydney Parrish, Sara Scalia, and Yarden Garzon and forward Mackenzie Holmes in the post. 

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