Source: LSU star Van Lith is in transfer portal

LSU Tigers star Hailey Van Lith is in the transfer portal, a source confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.

Van Lith averaged 11.6 points and 3.6 assists per game in her first and only season with the reigning champion Tigers, who ended their postseason run Monday with a loss to Iowa in the Elite Eight.

She was eligible to declare for the WNBA draft this past week but also has a fifth season of collegiate eligibility, granted to student-athletes by the NCAA during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 5-foot-7 guard — a two-time first-team all-ACC selection during her three years at Louisville — was one of LSU’s big-name transfers this past offseason that catapulted the Tigers into the conversation as the No. 1 preseason team in the country.

After guiding the Cardinals to the Final Four in 2022, Van Lith went to Baton Rouge looking to learn to play point guard from coach Kim Mulkey, a former point guard herself, on a team with fellow stars Angel Reese, Aneesah Morrow, Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams. Van Lith left Louisville, where she was also an honorable mention All-American, as a graduate transfer, having already earned her degree in accounting.

This season Van Lith took on a less prominent role offensively, averaging 9.9 field goal attempts per game, the second-lowest mark of her career. As the primary scorer playing off the ball at Louisville, she posted a career-best mark as a junior of 19.7 points per game.

“A lot of people have a lot to say about how this year went for me,” Van Lith told reporters before LSU’s Sweet 16 matchup against UCLA, “but one thing that they can’t argue with is that at this point, I know how to fend for Hailey and I know how to fight for Hailey and that’s going to help me the next level.”

Van Lith’s season at LSU came under scrutiny from some onlookers — including Monday when she was tasked with guarding Caitlin Clark, who scored 41 points in the matchup — but she said she has learned to tune out the critics.

“If I’m really stressed about how these people are talking about me, that means I care a lot about it,” Van Lith said. “And I probably think it’s half-ass true because I’m so worried about it. So I feel like this year has really taught me if I’m that bothered by something, that means that I kind of believe it’s true and that I need to do some self work. So I’ve been enjoying my life this year. I’m off the media. I’m not reading what everyone is saying about us or me or whatever they’re even doing. This has been a good year for me to just learn how to enjoy life and play basketball at the same time.”

ESPN’s Michael Voepel and Andrea Adelson contributed to this report.