Hailey Van Lith was 'intimidated' to make Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut
After making history as the first college basketball player – male or female – to reach the Elite Eight five times, TCU star Hailey Van Lith is making her debut as a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model.
“I was intimidated,” Van Lith told SI of her decision to do the shoot. “I didn't know if I would be comfortable in that kind of setting, but I wanted to try something that I had never tried. I would regret it a lot if I let my insecurities or my reservations hold me back from it.”
Van Lith averaged 17.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists for the Horned Frogs this season, losing to in-state rival Texas in the women's NCAA Tournament.
Projected to be selected early in the 2025 WNBA draft, Van Lith played three seasons at Louisville before transferring to LSU in 2023 and then TCU for 2024-25.
“I am a loyal person, and I think some people laugh at me when I say that, because they're like, ‘You’ve transferred twice,’” she told SI. “Loyalty begins with honoring yourself before you can truly honor other people. I think that sometimes my career puts ideas in people's heads that I'm an individual [first and foremost], and that's not the case.”
Van Lith was photographed in Fort Worth, Texas.
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