Erin Mullins, Cashmere Reporter
Hailey Van Lith, a 2020 graduate of Cashmere High School, competed in the Elite Eight at the NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball Tournament for the University of Louisville in March as a freshman. The Elite Eight are the final eight teams who qualify for the quarterfinals of the national tournament.
The Louisville Cardinals did not advance to the semifinals, falling to the top overall seed Stanford in their final game. Despite making it so far in the national tournament as a freshman, Van Lith has bigger goals for herself and for her team next year.
“National championship, that's what I want, and that's what I went to Louisville to get,” Van Lith said. “I have individual goals for myself but if your team isn't winning, no one cares about what you're doing individually.”
Van Lith said that the Cardinals will have a balanced team next year because of players that were signed for the upcoming season. These new players are an incoming freshman who is a McDonald's All-American and a transfer from Syracuse.
“I definitely think next year we're gonna have an even tighter team and there will be even more trust so definitely excited to be able to experience that,” Van Lith said
Van Lith had a strong freshman campaign as she was one of two players to start in all thirty games for the Cardinals and was named to the ACC All-Freshman, All-Tournament, and All-Academic teams for the 2020-21 season.
She was also one of 20 top collegiate athletes selected to participate in the 2021 USA Basketball Women’s AmeriCup Team trials, a game that took place outside of the collegiate system in April. Van Lith said that the AmeriCup Team trials were a great opportunity to grow as a player.
Since then, Van Lith hasn’t let up. For offseason training, she follows an exhausting routine. Van Lith said that she is currently playing basketball 2 to 3 times a day, doing a lot of speed and agility training and lifting weights four times a week.
“I'm a very strong player as it is,” Van Lith said, “And I just want to maintain what I had going for me last year and just work on those little aspects of my game on the basketball court that I think I can improve to take myself to even the next level and to take my team farther in the tournament.”
One reason she committed to playing for Louisville is because the team is capable of winning a national championship, Van Lith said. She also committed there because she trusts the head coach, Jeff Walz, and thinks that he will push her to her fullest potential.
College basketball is an entirely different level than playing in high school. Switching from playing basketball at the 1A level for Cashmere High School to playing basketball on the Division I level was a big transition for Van Lith but she said she didn’t find it intimidating. Instead, her fiery personality kicked in and she was just ready to compete.
“It definitely is a whole ‘nother level and you just have to respect every person you face. There's no one that's going to let you just beat them without a fight,” Van Lith said.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, many protocols were in place to ensure that the players remained safe. Every player got a daily PCR test for COVID-19, players wore masks during practice, and equipment was constantly sanitized. Van Lith said that she wasn’t allowed to be around students outside of the basketball team in order to avoid coronavirus exposure.
Despite the difficulties of competing during a pandemic, Van Lith said that it was all worth it in order to compete at the higher stage that she had been working towards for a long time. At times, adjusting to college during a pandemic was “very frustrating” for Van Lith, but the support of those around her helped her to succeed during her freshman year.
Her family and coaches created a strong support system. One of her assistant coaches would watch film with her and ensure she was in a good spot mentally. Van Lith quickly built bonds with her new teammates since they had to be around each other so much because of the pandemic.
For the most part, Van Lith said that she was excited to be away from home but that during the holiday season she was a little bit homesick. There were days that she would call her parents a few times a day because she just needed to hear from them. Overall though, Van Lith enjoyed her freshman year.
Van Lith's aspirations don’t stop at winning a national championship with her team in college. They don’t stop at working tirelessly in the offseason to improve her weaknesses. Van Lith wants to go pro.
It is hard to go pro as a female basketball player because the WNBA only has twelve teams so not a lot of players make the rosters, Van Lith said. But playing in the WNBA is something that she is perfectly capable of.
“If I want to be one of the greatest players, women's players, ever then that's obviously something that I'm gonna have to be able to do,” Van Lith said.
If NCAA legislation changes, Van Lith may be able to capitalize off of her basketball talent sooner rather than later. Currently, college athletes are not allowed to make any money outside of their scholarships in order to maintain amateurism. However, the NCAA is being increasingly pressured to change these rules and allow players to profit.
If players are allowed to make money while still in college, Sport Illustrated estimated that Van Lith is worth nearly a million dollars a year because of her many social media followers. Van Lith said that she is ready for that legislation to change.
“100% I’ve been waiting for that,” Van Lith said, “I think that it’s in the NCAA’s best interest to allow that.”
Whether or not the legislation changes, Van Lith will continue to work tirelessly towards her goal of winning a national championship with her team. A goal that big is a year round aspiration and the work doesn’t get any easier in the offseason.
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