Hailey Van Lith, once a dynamic back-court partner of Angel Reese, still carries the sting of a lopsided showdown with Iowa star Caitlin Clark. The memory of that night—when Clark’s record-setting performance overshadowed her own—has become the fuel that drives Van Lith’s offseason workouts and on-court ferocity.
Now, as a new March Madness approaches, the Louisville-turned-transfer guard is laser-focused on turning that pain into purpose. Friends say her daily training sessions run longer and harder, each rep anchored by the vision of meeting Clark again on the sport’s biggest stage—and flipping the script.
Critics who once questioned Van Lith’s consistency have watched her silence them with improved shot selection and a more vocal presence on defense. Analysts point to her higher assist-to-turnover ratio and renewed confidence running the offense as proof that she’s no longer just a volume scorer but a complete floor leader.
Those close to the program describe a switch in her mindset: past embarrassment is no longer a weight but a springboard. Van Lith has embraced every reminder of that humbling game, choosing to replay it in her mind not as a failure but as a blueprint for revenge—a reminder of exactly where she wants to grow.
With tournament brackets looming, the guard radiates a fierce determination that suggests she’s ready to pen a different ending. Van Lith’s hunger for redemption, sharpened by past defeat and current momentum, could make her one of March Madness’s most compelling storylines.
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