Hailey Van Lith, the standout player from TCU, is on the verge of entering the WNBA Draft with impressive momentum.
She has been dominating the court during her last year of collegiate play.
Throughout the season, both TCU and Van Lith have made history, yet there’s an intriguing detail about her that isn’t captured in the statistics.
During a press conference on Sunday, a reporter inquired about the length of her legs, referencing a rumor they had heard about her physique.
As reported by Wesley Branch from USA TODAY, it turns out her left leg measures half an inch shorter than her right.
“It’s true,” Van Lith confirmed, according to NCAA transcripts.
“Yeah, that’s true. It’s a long story, you guys; I don’t share everything with you! It is, and it does — there’s a lot of physiological issues that I deal with because of it. My whole right side is stronger and bigger. My hand is bigger, my foot is bigger, my quad is bigger. You can see it if you really look at me if you’re around me a lot.”
She elaborated on how this discrepancy affects her performance on the court but emphasized her adaptability.
“I definitely always prefer to plant off my right leg,” Van Lith shared. “I think fading to my left is more comfortable because the leg is shorter so it probably doesn’t really touch the ground as much. Just weird things like that, but, yes, that’s true, and I deal with it every day.”
Hailey Van Lith is Back in the Elite Eight for the Fifth Time
Recently, Van Lith delivered an impressive performance, scoring 26 points and securing nine rebounds, leading TCU to a 71-62 triumph over Notre Dame. This victory marked TCU’s inaugural appearance in the Elite Eight.
With this achievement, Van Lith has set a new single-season scoring record for TCU, totaling 663 points, while her 26 points in a single NCAA tournament game became a record for the program.
This marks Van Lith’s fifth Elite Eight appearance, achieved with her third different team.
She made history as the first player—across both men’s and women’s basketball—to reach this milestone.
Her initial three years were spent at Louisville, where she participated in three Elite Eight contests. Last season, she made headlines by transferring to LSU and again reached the Elite Eight.
Now, standing at 5 feet 9 inches, the graduate student has come full circle by joining TCU for one last shot at the title.
