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Chicago Tribune
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
When will Hailey Van Lith move into Chicago Sky's starting lineup? Rookie focused more on slowing things down.
Hailey Van Lith doesn't want to worry about her role. The Sky rookie arrived in Chicago with simple expectations of spending her debut season learning the point guard position behind veteran Courtney Vandersloot. But those plans fell apart within weeks when Vandersloot suffered a season-ending torn ACL on June 7 that disrupted the entire roster. In the immediate aftermath, Van Lith seemed poised to step into the primary point guard role far earlier than she — or the Sky staff — expected. She has continued to come off the bench, but her minutes have steadily climbed as she absorbs responsibilities from veterans Kia Nurse and Rachel Banham. That might seem like a sign of an upcoming promotion. But for Van Lith, the starting lineup is the least of her concerns. 'If I'm playing the way that I feel like I need to be playing, who cares if I come off the bench my rookie year?' Van Lith told the Tribune. 'It's very rare for rookies to start. And honestly, for me, if I changed my mindset from being off the bench or a starter, it would get me in some trouble regardless. I'd start heading down a path I won't want to go. 'If it happens, that would be awesome. But I just want to play.' From the start of the season, coach Tyler Marsh emphasized the importance of building strong habits — and not falling into bad ones — as the centerpiece of rookie development. But that doesn't mean the starting role is out of reach for Van Lith. Marsh believes she's on a path to winning the job by the end of the season. 'She's handled the minutes that she's had very well,' Marsh said. 'She's handled the pressure well. She's been able to feel that presence when we needed her to and she's been coachable. 'For us, it's been about continuing to find what units work the best together and have the most cohesion, so we'll continue to learn that moving forward.' Finding that cohesion relies in part on Marsh establishing the specific style of guard play that fits both Van Lith's skills and the Sky's needs. Position was the question mark looming over the last two years of Van Lith's college career. She struggled to adapt to the responsibilities of playing the point at LSU in 2023-24, then settled back into her comfort zone off the ball this past season at TCU. But when the Sky drafted Van Lith with the No. 11 pick, they had a clear vision for her to grow into the backup point guard role behind Vandersloot. This time, Van Lith bought in. She says she now sees herself as a one rather than a two, a major departure from how she previously identified herself. But she's also still developing the on-ball skills necessary to hold down the point in the WNBA. The learning curve was steep in the early weeks of the season. Defenders draped themselves over the 5-foot-9 Van Lith the moment she crossed the half-court line and peppered her with jabs at the ball far behind the 3-point arc. If she broke out of that initial pressure, Van Lith often found herself running straight into teammates. Van Lith hasn't let herself be goaded into too many mistakes, averaging only 1.3 turnovers per game — the fewest of any Sky guard besides Banham. But she also hasn't developed into a high-volume playmaker, matching those turnovers with 1.3 assists per game. If she's going to take command of the Sky offense, Van Lith has to get comfortable at the point of attack. 'I am strong, I can use my strength, I can be physical,' she said. 'They're trying to swarm me because they know I have small spaces sometimes. And that's all on me to either get the ball out of my hands or learn how to handle it.' Teammates such as veteran guard Ariel Atkins aren't worried about the defensive pressure — or Van Lith's ability to handle it. 'It's like a shark,' Atkins said. 'They smell blood when they see a rookie.' And as Van Lith has grown this season, she has begun to realize the best advice on the ball runs counter to her natural instincts. 'When I first came in, I felt like I had to run at a sprint to everything,' she said. 'Yes, it's faster tempo. Yes, the windows are smaller. But you can still play at a slower pace if you need to. I've slowed down my own pace to make better reads.' On Sunday in Connecticut, everything started to click for Van Lith, who posted 16 points, five rebounds and one assist in a 78-66 win over the Sun. Van Lith never had scored in double digits in a WNBA game. Yet she was encouraged by how mundane the performance felt. 'It wasn't like I really did anything crazy,' she said. 'I just made reads and played solid. So it's exciting to know that it's very repeatable. It gives me motivation — like that wasn't even my best game ever.' She followed it up Tuesday with five points and one assist in 26 minutes in a 79-72 home loss to the Washington Mystics. But if Van Lith can start to repeat performances like Sunday's, it likely would be a question of when — not if — she's due for a promotion into the starting five.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hailey Van Lith Sounds Off on Career Performance in Sky-Sun Game
Hailey Van Lith Sounds Off on Career Performance in Sky-Sun Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports. While it was Angel Reese who drew all the attention in the Chicago Sky's 78-66 win over the Connecticut Sun on Sunday--and rightfully so--rookie Hailey Van Lith also turned in an incredible performance in the victory. Advertisement Reese logged her first career triple-double in this one, which was the key to Chicago's first win in four games. Van Lith, however, chipped in with a career-high 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, five rebounds, an assist, a block and one three-pointer in 25 minutes off the bench. Van Lith spoke to reporters after the game, and the 5-foot-9 guard revealed her mindset during her big night. 'I felt like if I could just carry over a calm state of mind where I'm literally just playing instinctually, that was my goal today,' Van Lith said, via Ben Pickman of The Athletic. Chicago Sky guard Hailey Van Lith (2) shoots the Butler II-Imagn Images Van Lith, Chicago's 11th overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, hasn't exactly had a mind-blowing start to her WNBA career. In eight games played this season, the former TCU star has averaged 5.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 13.4 minutes off the bench. Advertisement However, as she said, Van Lith has remained patient and has kept herself ready, knowing full well that her moment would come. This was the case on Sunday, with the rookie stepping up to the plate in a major way when her number was called. The minutes in Chicago's backcourt have opened up significantly since the season-ending injury of starting point guard Courtney Vandersloot, and Van Lith's performance on Sunday might have just earned her a bigger role in head coach Tyler Marsh's rotation. Related: WNBA Makes Angel Reese Announcement After Chicago Sky Star's Historic Game Related: Former Chicago Sky Star Leaves No Doubt on Her Opinion of Caitlin Clark This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hailey Van Lith Reacts to Chicago Sky's Decision for Her
Hailey Van Lith Reacts to Chicago Sky's Decision for Her originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Chicago Sky moved to 3-7 during the 2025 WNBA season with a 78 to 66 win against the Connecticut Sun on Sunday. The victory also snapped a three-game losing streak and gave the Sky their first win in the Commissioner's Cup. Advertisement Angel Reese made history against the Sun by recording her first career triple-double, becoming just the second player in the WNBA to do so this season (via Yahoo Sports). Rookie guard Hailey Van Lith also had her best WNBA performance yet, as she recorded a career-high 16 points and a career-best five rebounds. Her 24 minutes were also the second-most she has played in a single game this season. Chicago Sky guard Hailey Van Lith (2).David Butler II-Imagn Images Van Lith had only been averaging 3.7 points and 1.0 rebounds per contest during the 2025 WNBA season prior to Sunday's win against Connecticut. Her career highs were seven points and four rebounds, which came in different games, until she exceeded those against the Sun. Advertisement After the win, the rookie detailed a slight change that the Chicago coaching staff made for her before the contest. Van Lith talked at length about how the Sky decided to transition her more toward being a point guard rather than a shooting guard. 'I actually am not naturally a two anymore, I'm more naturally a one at this point,' Van Lith said. 'The reason that we have tried to do it, just talking with the coaching staff, is they're trying to get me more opportunities off the triple threat catch instead of always having a live dribble.' Van Lith is now averaging 5.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per contest through the first eight games of her WNBA career (via Pro Basketball Reference). Advertisement With 15-year veteran Courtney Vandersloot sidelined for the season with a knee injury, the No. 11 overall pick may find herself in an expanded role. Chicago is back in action on Tuesday evening when they host the 4-7 Washington Mystics for the last game of the Commissioner's Cup. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Related: Chicago Sky Coach Makes Hailey Van Lith Statement After Sun Game Related: Satou Sabally's 1-Word Angel Reese Message Catches Attention This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hailey Van Lith Makes Admission About First Season With Chicago Sky
Hailey Van Lith Makes Admission About First Season With Chicago Sky originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Chicago Sky snapped a three-game losing streak to earn their third win of the 2025 WNBA season on Sunday. They took down the Connecticut Sun by a score of 78 to 66 and now own a 3-7 record ahead of their final Commissioner's Cup game. Advertisement Second-year forward Angel Reese, who made the 2024 WNBA All-Star team, recorded the first triple-double of her career in the win. She scored 11 points and pitched in 13 rebounds and 11 assists, as well as three steals and two blocks. Hailey Van Lith, who was the No. 11 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, also turned in a career-best performance. She set season highs of 16 points and five rebounds against the Sun. Chicago Sky guard Hailey Van Lith (2).Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Sunday was Van Lith's best performance of her rookie season. She had played in eight of the team's 10 games thus far, missing two contests with an ankle injury. After her career game against the Sun, a reporter asked Van Lith if this was the highlight of her rookie season so far. Van Lith then made an admission about her first year with the Sky. Advertisement 'Obviously, winning. Any time we win,' Van Lith said. 'I think even when we played Dallas, getting wins is the best feeling. I wouldn't say that I feel like this win was better than any other win, but obviously, I'm happy with my performance.' Van Lith is now averaging 5.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game through her first WNBA season (via Pro Basketball Reference). Chicago will return home for Tuesday's matchup against the 4-7 Washington Mystics. This will be the final game of the Commissioner's Cup for the Sky, who will look to move into fourth place in the Eastern Conference with a win. Advertisement Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Related: Hailey Van Lith Reacts to Chicago Sky's Decision for Her Related: Chicago Sky Coach Makes Hailey Van Lith Statement After Sun Game This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Angel Reese's triple-double carries Sky past Sun
Angel Reese delivered her first WNBA triple-double with 11 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists to lead the Chicago Sky to a 78-66 win over the Connecticut Sun in a Commissioner's Cup game. Reese's triple-double was the second in the WNBA this season, along with the Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark. It was the first triple-double from a Sky player since Courtney Williams in 2023. Reese and rookie guard Hailey Van Lith handled ball distribution in the absence of injured veteran point guard Courtney Vandersloot. The win for Chicago was the team's first since Vandersloot's season-ending knee injury on June 7 against Indiana. Van Lith dropped 16 points off the bench for Chicago , marking a new season best on 6-for-8 shooting, with 11 of her points coming after halftime. Sky guard Kia Nurse added 11 points, including 3-for-3 shooting from 3-point range. Kamilla Cardoso and Ariel Atkins each tallied 10 points. Chicago is now 1-3 in Commissioner's Cup play. The Sky trailed 8-0 in the game's opening minutes but rallied to claim a 38-36 halftime edge. An 8-2 run to open the fourth quarter pushed the edge to 67-56 on a Van Lith jumper with 7:52 to play and Connecticut never pulled closer than nine points the rest of the way. The Sky made 17 of 18 free-throw tries to aid the victory and had a 44-36 rebounding edge. Connecticut got an impressive performance from guard Marina Mabrey, who was traded from the Sky in 2024. Mabrey drained a season-best five 3-pointers on 12 attempts en route to 22 points, but also had six turnovers. Veteran Sun center Tina Charles tallied 19 points and six rebounds, but Connecticut's other players struggled to contribute. Connecticut shot 39.1 percent for the game and was 5-for-16 in the fourth quarter. The Sun fell to 1-3 in Commissioner's Cup play. Field Level Media
