The Buzz: The Latest on LSU Transfer Hailey Van Lith, Evaluating Portal Options

Van Lith entered the portal last week after one season in Baton Rouge. Where will she go?

Mar 30, 2024; Albany, NY, USA; LSU Tigers guard Hailey Van Lith (11) dribbles the ball against UCLA / Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

LSU guard Hailey Van Lith entered the NCAA Transfer Portal last Thursday after one season in Baton Rouge. Now, the coveted free agent is set to have several potential suitors as she begins narrowing her list.

Van Lith, a former Louisville star who took America by storm with her elite-level scoring ability, hit the market once again after transferring to LSU a season ago.

After a disappointing lone season in Baton Rouge, the former All-America honorable mention now looks for a new home for her final season of eligibility. Van Lith will exercise her COVID year after already playing four seasons of college ball.

A prominent figure in the NIL space, Van Lith is the face of the Adidas women's basketball campaign, and will certainly draw attention to whichever program she selects.

She decided not to enter the WNBA Draft while electing to remain in college. A player who believes she has the intangibles to succeed at the next level, she will look for a program that will allow her to be her on the floor and boost her draft stock once again.

“You have to kind of look at what type of player you are,” Van Lith said. “There’s some people that have to capitalize in college because they’re not a pro-type player. Their likability is going to stay in college. And I think for me, that’s not the case. I’m a pro-type player. The deals will follow, like Angel said. The one downfall is visibility. And the amount of times we play on ESPN and ABC and all these major television channels, that becomes a lot less when you go to the WNBA where it’s at right now. You’re not going to be in the media as much, but from a brand aspect, as long as you do what you need to do and keep up that part of your life, then brands, they’re going to follow you when you go to the league.”

Van Lith's name is officially in the portal as a graduate transfer. Let's look into a few programs that will almost certainly reach out to the prized guard:

The Buzz: Mississippi State

Over the last 24 hours, there has been buzz that Van Lith has been tied to Mississippi State as a potential transfer portal option, and after speaking with those familiar with her recruitment, there does appear to be some level of "traction" here.

Nothing is done at this time, and there are several programs linked to Van Lith, but Mississippi State remains an option here.

It's important to note that current Mississippi State head coach Sam Purcell was an assistant coach at Louisville during Van Lith's stint with the Cardinals.

The SEC program finished seventh in the conference during the 2023-24 season and immediately would give Van Lith an opportunity to play her style of basketball as a score-first guard.

Along with Mississippi State, the list goes on and on with programs showing interest in the coveted Transfer Portal guard.

Which other schools do we believe could reach out?

The Obvious: South Carolina, Stanford and Iowa Come to Mind

During her recruiting process a year ago, Van Lith told Bleacher Report that South Carolina and Stanford were the other two contenders battling for her services before she selected LSU.

There was a connection with the Cardinal given Van Lith played USA 3x3 ball with All-American Cameron Brink. Now that Brink is headed pro, will it play a role in Stanford being a potential option? Time will tell.

Another program that was on her radar is Dawn Staley's Gamecocks. The powerhouse program would certainly have open arms in bringing in a scoring threat like Van Lith and it's clear her camp had interest a year ago.

The third clear-cut option would be Iowa. National Player of the Year guard Caitlin Clark will depart for the 2024 WNBA Draft as the obvious No. 1 pick in the draft and the Hawkeyes will be looking to find a bucket-getter to score for their program.

The "Wild Card" Programs: USC, UCLA, Washington and Ohio State

Van Lith is a West coast player. She grew up in Washington and had PAC-12 interest during her recruitment process years ago. Could she look to head back to the coast and transfer to a school like UCLA, Washington or USC?

The Trojans took America by storm this season with Freshman of the Year JuJu Watkins leading the charge. An elite-level scorer, she could pair well with Van Lith next season if the opportunity presented itself.

The other West coast school that comes to mind is UCLA. A program that will be looking for a scoring replacement, Van Lith could enter the mix for them during the Transfer Portal process this offseason.

Lastly, Ohio State could be a program to monitor. A program losing scoring this offseason, Van Lith could look into the Buckeyes as a school that will allow her to player her game as a lethal bucket-getter, but again, time will tell.

It's been one week since Van Lith entered the portal, and speculation will certainly continue during her process, but these handful of schools will certainly have interest in the coveted guard this offseason.