Hailey Van Lith Makes Strong Mental Health Statement During First Chicago Sky Press Conference

"When I was younger in college, I was suicidal, I was heavily medicated and felt trapped. And you would never know it because I was having a ton of success on the court," she said. "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. I didn't even want to live."

HVL decided she needed to seek out help after learning about the fate of Katie Meyer, a goalie from Stanford who died by suicide in March 2022.

"It's a little bit intimidating for me because it's totally outside my comfort zone. Only the people that are closest to me, like my parents and maybe, you know, my brother and my best friend kind of know the extent to what my life has been like," Van Lith explained. "All those people knowing that about me has been a little bit scary for me. But, you know, I accepted God's challenge of sharing it. And so now I need to walk in it."

Looking back on her experiences with therapy, the 23-year-old spoke positively about their impact on her life since then.

"It's been very positive," Van Lith said. "I've received a lot of encouragement and also a lot of people, you know, sharing that they can relate or that I helped them feel understood. That's the whole point."

HVL was the Big 12 Player of the Year and Big 12 Newcomer of the Year last season with TCU. She transferred to the Horned Frogs after a season spent with the LSU Tigers. She began her collegiate career at Louisville, playing for the Cardinals for three seasons.

She joined the Chicago Sky, which finished 13-27 last season, and is one of four teams not to qualify for the postseason last year.