The USA's women's 3X3 basketball team earned a bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics. The team fell short of their ultimate goal of winning a gold medal, but Team USA still fought hard throughout the tournament. WNBA players Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream), Dearica Hamby (Los Angeles Sparks) and Cierra Burdick (last played in WNBA during 2021 season) were accompanied by TCU women's basketball player Hailey Van Lith.
Van Lith was the only college athlete on any of the USA's basketball teams in 2024, per The Sporting News. The Sporting News also reports that Van Lith had the most points scored for the USA women's 3X3 basketball team. It goes without saying, but that is quite an impressive feat.
Hailey Van Lith's basketball career
Van Lith is preparing to play her first season at TCU. She began her college career at Louisville, where she spent three seasons. Van Lith established herself as a college basketball star during the 2022-23 campaign after averaging 19.7 points per outing. Van Lith ultimately transferred to LSU for the 2023-24 season to join Angel Reese and the defending champions.
LSU women's basketball and Van Lith both failed to play up to their expectations, however. LSU failed to repeat as champions while Van Lith struggled to find her rhythm with the team, averaging just 11.6 points per game.
She is hoping to replicate her 2022-23 season numbers with a fresh start at TCU. Van Lith will undoubtedly be a highly-regarded prospect following her college basketball career. Her performance during the 2024-25 season may go a long way towards determining where she ends up in the WNBA Draft.
For now, Van Lith should be proud of her performance at the Olympics. Winning any kind of medal is a challenge for any athlete, especially while still in college. Of course, Van Lith had plenty of help from her teammates. Nevertheless, it was clear that she wanted the challenge and ended up leading the team in total points as a result.