Hailey Van Lith Opens Up About How Angel Reese Inspires Her Before Games and It Might Just Make You Tear Up
The 23-year-old rookie already had a good relationship with her teammate at LSU, but that bond has endured over time.
The Chicago Sky did not start the season in the best way. They are coming off a 103-86 loss to the Washington Mystics, which was their sixth consecutive defeat and leaves them with a 7-19 record.
In addition, they are in second-to-last place in the league, ahead of only the Connecticut Sun, who have 4 wins and 21 losses.
However, there is one thing that is working wonderfully, and that is the chemistry between Reese and her former LSU teammate, Hailey Van Lith.
After being selected by the Sky with the 11th overall pick in this year’s WNBA Draft, the 23-year-old rookie is looking to find her place on the team, as she did on her college team, where she averaged 17.9 points.
Now, in Chicago, Hailey is averaging well below her LSU numbers, with 4.2 points per game. However, in her last three games, Tyler Marsh has shown that he trusts her and she has averaged 24 minutes. And he’s not the only one who trusts her.
The good atmosphere between Angel and Hailey
During her appearance on Bleacher Report’s Film Study podcast, host Renee Montgomery shared some footage with Van Lith showing a particular play with Reese.
In it, Angel passes the ball to Hailey for an open three-pointer that she ends up sinking. “Is that a play that y’all work on?” Montgomery asks curiously.
I know Angel’s game pretty well now, so I know whenever I give it to her, she’s a very willing passer, and especially with me. She’s always yelling at me to knock down 3s.
Drawing on her previous experience and the trust placed in her, HVL knows that Reese will need her help, so she tries to be ready for her:
“So whenever she has the ball and I’m in the vicinity, I’m 100% moving my feet to try and get a window to be open, because I know that she’s looking for me,” Van Lith added.
With only 16 games left in the regular season, Van Lith and Reese will have to prove that their chemistry works, and they could do so at home when they host the Golden State Valkyries (12-13) on Friday, August 1.
