Missing last year’s playoffs was supposed to be a wake-up call for the Chicago Sky. Truth be told, the front office did learn from its mistakes! It was a pretty straightforward equation–the Sky’s frontcourt was exceptional, but their backcourt? Not so much. In response, they brought in Courtney Vandersloot’s championship experience and drafted Hailey Van Lith, a young star! But injuries have forced rookie coach Tyler Marsh into a challenging situation.

Or, in other words, Vandersloot tore her ACL, and Van Lith sprained her ankle, effectively putting a stop to their backcourt overhaul. Before her injury, HVL was starting to figure out what it meant to play the game at the highest level. Although her averages of 4.2 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists look bad, her defensive hustle and desire to do well were necessary for the Sky’s rhythm. Not to mention, when she’s in form, Hailey Van Lith is a knockdown shooter!

So, it was nice to hear Tyler Marsh, the Chicago Sky head coach, talk about Van Lith’s timeline of recovery a handful of hours before the Valks game. “She’s progressing,” Marsh said, much to the delight of Chicago fans. “Not quite there yet, but she’s getting there. It’s unfortunate, obviously, but she’s continuing to work, and I think we’ll see her again throughout the season. But [Hailey Van Lith is] still progressing, still taking it day-by-day.” Although this update effectively rules HVL out of the fixture against the Valkyries, it’s still great news!

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Van Lith has quite an interesting opportunity in front of her. Though guards Rachel Banham and Kia Nurse have consistently made the rotation before the young rookie, it’s clear that she has a very high ceiling. She’s averaging about 13 and a half minutes per game, which explains the seemingly low production pretty well.

If Hailey Van Lith adjusts to the WNBA speed and physicality, she might end up as the starting guard soon enough! Coach Marsh has already indicated that he’d love for the TCU alum to see some starting minutes this year, but the onus will be on HVL to seize the opportunity in front of her. Van Lith’s first season so far has been about learning and unlearning. Let’s find out how the five-foot-nine guard has been adjusting to the big leagues so far!

“Trying to learn every day,”: Hailey Van Lith reveals growing pains in transition from college to the pros.

After averaging over 15 points per game in college, Hailey Van Lith didn’t expect to be riding the bench during her first WNBA season. The five-foot-nine guard, after being drafted by Chicago, was the fourth guard in the rotation behind Vandersloot, Banham, and Nurse. After Sloot’s injury? She’s still the third. There are two ways players react to such a situation: Some players get frustrated by the lack of opportunities being given to them, while others put their heads down and work hard.

Guess which category HVL falls under? On Bleacher Report’s Film Study, Van Lith was talking to WNBA legend Renee Montgomery about her transition to the league. “It’s been a journey of trying to learn every day. I think the biggest thing for me is just being open to learning every single day and taking every day as what it is and trying to be better the next day.” She said, showing her willingness to learn from the vets in front of her, and not get ahead of herself.

Van Lith went on to talk about how she hasn’t ever come off the bench in her entire career, and that it required a significant mindset shift from her! A major lesson that the five-foot-nine guard is beginning to process is, “The different way that I can contribute to culture and winning habits that don’t necessarily mean that I’m always on the floor.”

It will be interesting to see how HVL develops as a player. The potential is there–Kim Mulkey didn’t bring her over for nothing–but she still has a long way to go before she earns her stripes. If she sticks to the process, there’s no doubt that Hailey Van Lith can reach the ceiling that she dreamed of! Stay tuned for more updates.