Sky reunite Angel Reese with ex-LSU teammate through WNBA Draft
Hailey Van Lith poses with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected with the No. 11 overall pick to the Chicago Sky in the 2025 WNBA Draft at The Shed at Hudson Yards.
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
The Sky are hoping the second time’s the charm for teammates Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith.
On Monday, the Sky selected Van Lith with the No. 11 overall pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft, reuniting her with Reese, her 2023-24 teammate at LSU.
Van Lith’s arrival in Baton Rouge came weeks after the Tigers’ 2023 national championship, but she didn’t have the season many expected playing with All-American talent Reese in the frontcourt.
LSU went 31-6 and lost to Iowa in the regional finals. In 33 games, Van Lith shot a career-low 37.8 percent and averaged 11.6 points, 3.6 assists and 2.6 turnovers per game.
“We ain’t do it right the first time,” Reese said in a social media post. “Let’s run it back.”
We ain’t do it right the first time. Let’s run it backkkkk https://t.co/8PXLsHkUyN
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) April 15, 2025
Van Lith rebounded for a sensational 2024-25 season at TCU. She led the Horned Frogs to the Elite Eight, their deepest NCAA tournament run in team history.
Van Lith averaged 17.9 points per game on 45.2 percent shooting and was named Big 12 Player of the Year.
The Sky are coming off consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 2017-18. Van Lith joins a completely remade backcourt in Chicago.
Earlier this offseason, the Sky added guard Courtney Vandersloot and Kia Nurse in free agency and acquired guards Ariel Atkins and Rebecca Allen in trades.
Vandersloot rejoined the organization after two seasons with the Liberty, where she won the 2024 WNBA title. Vandersloot played her first 12 seasons with the Sky, averaging 10.2 points and 6.6 assists per game during that span (2011-22).
Nurse, a 2019 All-Star, appeared in all 40 games (27 starts) for the Sparks in 2024 and averaged 7.6 points per game.
Atkins, a five-time All-Defense team member, averaged 14.9 points and 1.5 steals per game with the Mystics in 2024. Nine-year WNBA veteran Allen only played in 18 games last year but is a reliable three-point threat with a career 36.3 percent rate from deep.
Van Lith will have the opportunity to learn behind Chicago’s multiyear veterans. However, as a 3×3 women’s basketball Olympian, she already has experience playing with pros, so her curve shouldn’t be as steep as most rookies.
She could have the opportunity to play meaningful minutes for the Sky, who already have an excellent frontcourt led by Reese and fellow 2024 first-round pick Kamilla Cardoso.
The duo helped Chicago lead the league in rebounds per game (36.6), and Reese set the WNBA record for most rebounds (446) in a single season. The team’s backcourt upgrades could be what it needs to move up the standings and back into the playoffs after a one-year absence.
Things didn’t go as planned for Van Lith and Reese the last time they were teammates. The Sky have put in the work this offseason to potentially make things much better for the duo on the second go around.
Eric Smithling
Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans
More must-reads:
Wings choose UConn star Paige Bueckers with No. 1 overall pick
Paige Bueckers solidifies future with Unrivaled ahead of 2025 WNBA Draft
The ‘WNBA Draft first overall picks’ quiz
