The Sky are heading into the 2025 WNBA Draft with two second-round draft picks: No. 16 and No. 22. And while there are a lot of players the team should be considering for those spots, there's one whose draft stock is rocketing, should we say, skyward: Angel Reese's former teammate Hailey Van Lith.
Reese and Van Lith played together at LSU during the 2023-24 season. Though it wasn't Van Lith's strongest season (a huge reason why she transferred to TCU, where she has been thriving this season), the pair had a friendship that's continued past last year's WNBA Draft and into this collegiate season.
Van Lith has been open about the difficulties she faced at LSU but has always named Reese as one of the players who offered her support during that year. Friendship aside, Van Light could be an intriguing draft pick for the Sky
Why the Chicago Sky should draft Hailey Van Lith in 2025
Apart from her stats this season, it's important to note that first and foremost, Van Lith is a hard worker who will chase what is best for her and for her team. She has Olympic experience under her belt and has also made no apologies for transferring from Louisville to LSU to TCU in the name of what will help her the most as an athlete. She has the ability to understand herself, something that will help her develop the mental acuity she needs to thrive in the WNBA and with a team like the Sky.
Van Lith is also a well-known name in collegiate basketball and she will bring a fan base to the Sky, just like Reese and Kamilla Cardoso did last year. The Sky have made a lot of impressive free agency moves this year, but are likely to end up somewhere in the middle of the pack in terms of league standings. Van Lith will be an asset to a team that wants to win but also knows it takes time.
Van Lith could also be a great apprentice for Ariel Atkins, who the Sky signed in February in a decision that surprised some fans and even WNBA insiders. The pair are around the same size, and Atkins (a prolific 3-point shooter), could help Van Lith continue to develop in that area.
Though Van Lith has been knocked for staying in college a fifth year, it's very likely that additional time is what's going to get her into the league — and Chicago could be the perfec