“Proud of you, ROOK,” Angel Reese texted Hailey Van Lith after her breakout performance, and those words meant more than just praise.
Van Lith entered Sunday’s game playing a mere 11.9 minutes per contest. Before Vandersloot’s injury, her lone extended run, 26 minutes against the Fever, ended in 7 points on 2/5 from the field, with 3 turnovers and little impact. This context casts her rise on Sunday in a different light not just unexpected, but earned.
That blowout loss to Indiana felt like the universe handpicking her moment to shine, but only if she was willing to fight. And she did.
On Sunday, in Connecticut, Van Lith looked different. Attacking with confidence off the catch, moving without the ball, hitting 6-of-8 shots for a career-high 16 points in 25 minutes.
This shift wasn’t accidental—it reflected Coach Tyler Marsh’s tactics, moving her into triple-threat opportunities instead of overloading her on live dribbles:
“They’re trying to get me more opportunities off the triple threat catch instead of always having a live dribble and trying to mix it up where it’s like 50-50 instead of 90-10.”
And it mattered—because at 5-foot-8, Van Lith is one of the smallest guards in the league. She’s faced relentless defensive pressure since her very first game on May 7 against the Minnesota Lynx. The Sky lost that night, and Marsh saw how steep the learning curve would be. “It’s tough,” he said then. “It’s a first real look at W action, and those are certified WNBA guards. That’s the kind of pressure that she’s going to feel night in, night out.”
Now, weeks later, Marsh and his staff are shifting the geometry. Rather than forcing Van Lith to create from live dribbles, they’ve allowed her to play out of her strengths—attacking from the triple-threat, moving in flow, and sharing ball-handling duties with teammates like Ariel Atkins.
Now, weeks later, Marsh and the coaching staff made key adjustments: ones that gave Van Lith space not just to shoot but to facilitate. The rookie explained it like this:
“So really, we’re just trying, me and Ariel or whatever that other guard tandem may be, we’re just playing naturally to mix up who’s bringing the ball up on a live dribble and who gets to play out of the triple threat.”
The result? A more fluid, instinctive version of Van Lith and a Sky team that suddenly looked connected.
It freed her to play closer to instinct, closer to flow.
And when Hailey looked up at the scoreboard, she found Reese in mid-season form: facilitating with vision, lighting the court up, and finishing with her first WNBA triple-double—11 assists, 11 points, 13 rebounds.
Van Lith called it out straight:
“Angel was facilitating and found everybody. I made a lot of open shots—that was my job tonight.”
That’s what made the scenes end of game matter. Not solo heroics. It was chemistry. Praise paid. Rookie validation. And a reminder: under Marsh’s system, everyone gets their moment. Sunday? Van Lith’s, with Reese tipping the scales.
That postgame exchange—Reese’s ‘Proud of you, ROOK’—was more than words. It was a passing of trust, a nod of approval, and a sign that this Sky team now has full trust in their rookie point guard.
Hailey Van Lith’s trial by fire
This is crucial, especially after May 26.
When Courtney Vandersloot went down just five minutes into that game against Indiana, Hailey Van Lith was suddenly thrust into the spotlight. The rookie guard, still finding her footing in the league, was forced into extended duty, logging a career-high 26 minutes. The pressure showed: she finished with just 7 points, 2 boards, three turnovers, and struggled to even bring the ball up the floor against Indiana’s defense.
Chicago, USA, May 22, 2025: Hailey Van Lith 2 Chicago Sky in action during the game between the Chicago Sky and New York Liberty on Thursday May 22, 2025 at Wintrust Arena, Chicago, USA. NO COMMERCIAL USAGE Shaina Benhiyoun/SPP PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxBRAxMEX Copyright: xShainaxBenhiyoun/SPPx spp-en-ShBe-8P6A1823
“It’s heartbreaking to watch anybody, but especially one of your teammates and someone who means so much to us as Sloot does,” Van Lith said afterward. “Whatever’s in store for the future of this team, we’ll make this moment mean something in the end.”
Since then, Sky head coach Tyler Marsh has had to reimagine the offense. “With Sloot being out, we’ve become a little less ball screen-oriented and more about playing through our postings,” Marsh explained. In short: more spacing, more versatility, and more players sharing the load.
On Sunday against Connecticut, it all came together.
Angel Reese made history with her first triple-double, but Van Lith quietly had her breakout moment too, dropping a career-high 16 points and grabbing five rebounds in 25 minutes. It wasn’t just the numbers—it was how she played: decisive off the catch, active without the ball, and confident in rhythm.
“We got a lot of energy from Hailey,” Marsh said. “Our spacing allowed her to get downhill and create for herself and others.”
Before that game, Van Lith had averaged just 3.7 points through seven appearances. But this was a different look—one that finally showed why Chicago drafted her in the first round.
The Sky return to action Tuesday against the Washington Mystics, hoping this version of Van Lith is here to stay. The rookie might not be leading the offense yet, but she’s learning how to belong in it.
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