Hailey Van Lith Makes Extremely Sad Mental Health Admission

TCU punched its ticket to the Sweet 16 this past weekend with a victory over Louisville. After that NCAA Tournament game went final, Hailey Van Lith spoke to the media about her journey on and off the hardwood. 

Van Lith started her college career as an All-ACC player at Louisville. She then transferred to LSU for the 2023-2024 season. Unfortunately for the talented guard, she wasn't really a great fit on Kim Mulkey's squad. Instead of going pro after last season, she exercised her fifth year of eligibility and transferred to TCU. 

Through all the ups and downs, Van Lith was dealing with internal struggles that no one really knew about. She opened up about it during Sunday's postgame media session.  

"The way that I got exposed to the media and social media at such a young age, I really struggled with mental health things. When I was younger and in college, I was suicidal, I was heavily medicated, and I felt trapped," Van Lith told Nick Girimonte of Sports Illustrated. "You would never know because I was having a ton of success on the court, but internally and in life in general, I was ready to be done. That's what I mean when I speak on suffering and pain. It's like I didn't even want to live. 

"To come from that and do this is incredible. I’ve been praying all year like, 'God, I know you've given me this testimony to share it with the world and shed your light.' I think this is the year and this is the moment that he wants people to know my story, and he has taken me literally from the depths of wanting to die to this moment of loving life. Even if basketball went away today, I would want to be here and love these people."