Angel Reese Sends Heartwarming Message To Hailey Van Lith After Her Major Announcement

Just one year after winning their program's first-ever title in 2023, the LSU Tigers brought in Louisville star Hailey Van Lith via the transfer portal.

The thought of her teaming up with Angel Reese, who was the tournament's Most Outstanding Player and Unanimous First-team All-American, had many thinking they would dominate the sport. That didn't end up being the case, as Van Lith seemed to struggle with her role as a point guard, but they were still able to make it to the Elite Eight.

Now, Reese is shining in the WNBA for the Chicago Sky, and Van Lith was still able to make her time in Baton Rouge worthwhile before transferring to TCU, as she announced on Saturday she obtained her master's degree. Something that Reese made sure to give her props for.

"yesss babe!!! so proud 😘," wrote Reese in the comment section of Van Lith's Instagram post.

Van Lith's academic workload was a bit different from the average student and even most athletes. She revealed in a recent interview with USA TODAY that while she was finishing her degree at LSU, she was also beginning the process of getting her master's at TCU.

On top of working toward both degrees at the same time, Van Lith also happened to be on Team USA's 3X3 team at the Paris Olympics. So, in between games and their pursuit for a medal, which they ended up winning a bronze, Van Lith was writing papers for two different degrees.

"I'm finishing my master's in business at LSU and I'm starting my master's in liberal arts at the same at TCU," Van Lith said earlier this month. "So doing that together ... and it's been a process but hopefully it'll work out and I'll graduate in a couple of days from LSU."

Now at TCU, Van Lith will look to return to the offensive success she was having while at Louisville. She saw her points per game, rebounding, and field goal percentage all take a slight hit at LSU.

She joined a TCU program that seemed to be poised for title contention at the start of the year as they got off to a 14-0 start, but the injury bug derailed their season to the point where they had to forfeit games and have in-season walk-on tryouts.

This upcoming season can truly be a big year for Van Lith, who has a chance to contend for a title, earn another degree, and also boost her WNBA draft stock in the process.

Related: Hailey Van Lith Makes Major Personal Announcement