July 5, 2025
How Hailey Van Lith is staying positive in her rookie season with the Chicago Sky
By Hope Perry
'I’m gonna fight for every positive day I can get'
CHICAGO — Late in a practice at the Chicago Sky’s practice facility on a Thursday in mid-June, the team ran a few plays before shifting into a good-natured half-court shooting contest. But rookie point guard Hailey Van Lith stayed under the basket in the back of the gym, practicing layups, until star forward Angel Reese coaxed her to join the fun.
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“She’s super, super competitive,” Sky development coach David Simon told The Next. “She’s on me all the time, wanting to get in the gym constantly. … She’s one who really, really enjoys the process and loves the grind.”
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At the 2025 WNBA Draft, the Sky took Van Lith with the 11th overall pick. In 14 games as a professional, she is averaging 4.6 points, 1.5 assists and 1.1 rebounds in 13.9 minutes per game.
“Everyone says that the jump from college to the WNBA is way harder than anyone thinks going into it,” Van Lith told reporters at her debut press conference for the Sky. “So I fully expect it to be hard. But I also want to have confidence in the fact that I’m experienced with new environments.”
Indeed, Van Lith is no stranger to new environments. Using an extra year of eligibility from the COVID-19 pandemic, Van Lith played five years of college basketball: three at Louisville, one at LSU alongside Reese and one at TCU. She made history as the first college basketball player, male or female, to make the Elite Eight with three different schools.
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Van Lith’s biggest performance since being drafted came against the Connecticut Sun on June 15, where she logged 16 points, five rebounds, an assist and a block. She shot 75% from the field. But two days later against the Washington Mystics, Van Lith banked just 5 points and two rebounds.
“Every game in the league … is so different, and it really is, especially as a rookie,” Van Lith told The Next. “It’s like — it can be very roller-coaster.”
Sky head coach Tyler Marsh told reporters at practice that these are the typical “rookie growing pains.”
“And so the thing [is], she was back in the gym the next day, and she’s ready to work,” he said.
Van Lith has worked this season to transform into a true triple-threat point guard. She said her goal every day is to be herself and help the team, but it’s not an instant process.
“We’ve talked a lot about that, just trusting the process, not forcing things and letting it kind of come to you as the time helps you grow into that position,” Simon said.
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Characterized by her grit both on and off the court, Van Lith has also been an advocate for athlete mental health and has been open about her own struggles. As a rookie in a league where even first-round draft picks are sometimes waived in training camp, Van Lith said that the pressure as a first-year player can work both ways.
“Sometimes when I’m in a negative space, I feel weight and pressure behind it,” she said. “But when I’m in a good space and when I’m in a positive mindset, it’s more exciting. It actually builds your confidence. Like, that’s how good I am is that I made a roster spot in the hardest league in the world to make.”
In recent weeks, some have accused the Sky of only keeping Van Lith on the roster because of her marketability. But her coaches and teammates continue to emphasize her work ethic.
“Her greatest attribute is her work ethic, her passion, her dedication to being good and being great and being coachable,” Marsh said. “And so we still think extremely highly of Hailey and where her potential is long-term and short-term with us.”
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On the Sky, Van Lith has been reunited with Reese, her former LSU teammate. Their camaraderie is visible at practice, and Reese tweeted her love for Van Lith after the game against the Sun.
“For me, as many days as I can get where I’m in the positive mindset and view it in that space, it’s gonna be what makes or breaks my career, I think,” Van Lith said. “So I’m gonna fight for every positive day I can get, and if I do have a negative day, I’ll give myself grace.”
