Angel Reese, Hailey Van Lith star in return to LSU with WNBA’s Chicago Sky

By Ethan Stenger, Sports Editor

May 2, 2025

LSU women’s basketball junior forward Angel Reese (10) and graduate student guard Hailey Van Lith (11) go for a rebound Friday, March 22, 2024, during LSU’s 70-60 first-round NCAA March Madness tournament victory against Rice at the Pete Maravich Center in Baton Rouge, La.

The WNBA is having its biggest stars return to their alma mater to expand its reach, and Friday was no exception.

On the opening night of the WNBA preseason, Angel Reese, rookie Hailey Van Lith and the Chicago Sky hosted the Brazilian national team at the PMAC. Reese finished with a 15-point double-double with two steals, while Van Lith finished with seven points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals while shooting 5-for-5 (100%) from the charity stripe as Chicago dominated Brazil 89-62.

Before the game, LSU head coach Kim Mulkey honored Reese and Van Lith at center court. Last-Tear Poa was also in attendance, seen cheering on her former Tiger teammates.

Kim Mulkey and Tiger fans welcome Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith back to #LSU.#WNBA pic.twitter.com/x2js4mSO0V

— Ethan Stenger (@itsethanstenger) May 3, 2025

Reese spent two years at LSU and spearheaded Mulkey’s legendary 2023 National Championship team, leading the SEC in scoring and rebounding. She ranks No. 7 in the Tigers’ all-time rebounding leaderboard and was taken by the Sky with the No. 7 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft.

Van Lith left for TCU after only spending a season in Baton Rouge. She joins her former LSU teammate Reese in Chicago with the Sky after being drafted 11th overall in April.

It took Chicago head coach Tyler Marsh until the second half to put Van Lith in the game, as she was welcomed to the WNBA and back to LSU all at once.

For Reese, it’s the first time she’s been back in Baton Rouge since she declared for the WNBA Draft a year ago.

“I don’t want to be in college anymore, so there’s no ‘One more year,'” Reese said pregame. “There was never a chance.”

But it doesn’t mean she doesn’t cherish where she came from.

“Being able to build that Bayou Barbie, everybody knows me [as] that from down here, and [I’m] just happy to be home to embrace the family,” Reese said.

About the Contributor

Ethan Stenger, Sports Editor

Why did you join the Reveille? I worked at my student newspaper during my junior and senior years of high school, so it felt like a no-brainer. It was a smooth transition. What positions have you held at the Reveille? I was a sports reporter during my freshman year, covering soccer in the fall and the national champion gymnastics team in the spring. What’s your favorite thing about working at the Reveille? The experiences that the Reveille has offered me have honestly changed my life. When I got to cover the SEC and national championships for gymnastics and Alabama-LSU on a Saturday night in Death Valley, there were moments when I just took a step back and thought, “Wow, Ethan, you can do this. This dream isn’t so far-fetched.” What’s your favorite story that you’ve worked on so far? Last March, my mom walked into the living room while I watched a men’s college basketball game and said, “Wait, why do they play two halves instead of four quarters?” My dad had asked the same question days earlier, so I finally answered it. If you ask Google, my article is one of the first things that comes up. It’s pretty remarkable to think that people will be coming back to read my words for years to come. What do you hope to do after graduation? Inspire curiosity, spread compassion and change the world with art.