‘It’s super important’ – Angel Reese gives sage four-word advice to ‘little sister’ Hailey Van Lith amid reunion
Hailey Van Lith left LSU in 2024 to improve her WNBA Draft stock -- and the gamble paid off.
Joining TCU from a stacked Tigers roster allowed the guard room to flourish and she produced by far her best college season.
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The reward was being selected by the Chicago Sky with the 11th overall pick and a reunion with former LSU teammate Angel Reese.
Van Lith was delighted to land in the Windy City, where Reese provided an elite option under the rim in her rookie season.
“Learning with skilled bigs and experienced bigs, they can really help me,” said the former Horned Frogs standout. “You know, when to find them, where they want the ball, and they’re vocal about it.
"They’ll let me know, and that will help me learn. So, [there’s] a ton of people in the gym that I can learn from, but that can also push me to get better.”
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Van Lith and Reese ended their season of college ball together with a 94-87 loss to Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2024.
Reese then joined Clark in the WNBA and is now helping her 23-year-old 'little sister' adapt to life as a pro despite being a year younger than her.
“I know there’s probably a lot of pressure on her from the outside," Reese said after Sunday's . "I know how it is, just being the big name coming to town that’s expected to do big things.
The second year pro then shared her sage advice to HVL.
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"Stay calm. Stay poised."
"Me and Hailey have a great relationship," Reese went on.
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"I love her and just being able to be here for her in this moment because last year was tough for me because I didn’t have a lot of vets.
“So just being that big sister to her this year, it’s super important to her.”
Van Lith says the pair's previous relationship has helped them hit the ground running.
“Me and Angel picked up right where we left off.” she said. “We had a team dinner last night and we were cracking jokes all dinner. She has great energy.
"I think one thing about Angel that a lot of people don’t give her credit for is she really does have a selfless leader mindset, like she had went out of her way to make sure that my mindset is right. That my energy is right. That I’m feeling comfortable.”
Tyler Marsh was named Sky coach in November 2024 and the first-year boss has helped Van Lith's transition.
“Coach Ty really just said, 'We drafted you for a reason so, don’t feel like you necessarily have to go prove yourself. We want you here. Just go be you,'” she explained. “At the beginning, I think I was so nervous and I wasn’t really being myself yet. But then as practice went on. I just started being me and the player they drafted me to be.
“It’s really cool when a head coach goes out of his way to talk to the rookies. I don’t think that’s super common so, I’m really looking forward to building my relationship with him, and him helping me get better.”
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Van Lith's role under Marsh is one she is very comfortable in.
“The point guard has to get downhill, make plays, be able to score [and] be able to set people up to score,” she said. “I think that’s kind of what I do best.
"And also, I can float to the two sometimes. and I can still play my game. I think it provides me a good opportunity to make an impact at any position that they could need me at.”
The Sky missed the playoffs in 2024 but with Reese entering her sophomore season and college superstar Van Lith adding another dynamic, expectations are high.
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“I just think competitively, like the type of energy that the girls have and the coaching staff has, I align well with the mindset.” Van Lith said. “I think Chicago is a great fit for me and I’m honestly super excited for tomorrow now.”
The Sky face Clark's Indiana Fever in their curtain-raiser on May 17 as Reese and Van Lith team up to avenge the Tigers.
WNBA star Angel Reese opens up about her relationship with Hailey Van Lith
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