What happens when one of the best basketball stars gets injured, sick, and stressed about the Olympics? Hailey Van Lith went through mental warfare as well as physical pain. Despite limping in December, being sick in Paris, and getting food poisoning, she has been firm. So, how many games did she miss?
Plantar Fasciitis Threatened Hailey Van Lith’s Role as LSU’s Starting Point Guard
Hailey was out of the game during the first week of December 2023 because of plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the muscle on the bottom of her foot.
Coach Kim Mulkey also gave us the insight of her injury, she said, “You have to be smart as a training staff. Do we need her? Can she rest now? I’m not a medical person or a physician, but I’m sure that’s what they’re deciding, is that, with any nagging thing, the more rest you get, the healthier you get. And I think that’s what’s going on right now.”
Matthew Brune of On3 later added, “These games in December matter, but they don’t matter. They’re not more important than what we have to do from January through March.”
People saw her then with a safety boot on her right foot and not doing full practice sessions.
In December 2023, she missed two games for LSU due to heel fasciitis. On December 10, the first one against Louisiana, and the second on December 12, the second one against McNeese State.
Hailey Blames Opening Ceremony Rain For Cold Symptoms
In July 2024, Hailey played basketball for Team USA in the women’s 3×3 event at the Olympics in Paris. She got cold right after the opening, but the reason was believed to be the bad weather that day.
She played in the first game against Germany on July 30, 2024; even after being sick, she scored six points in a 17–13 loss.
From the report of ESPN’s Associated Press, she has addressed the issue regarding the cold by saying, “I think I actually have a cold. I think it was from the rain in the opening ceremony. So, I think it’s a combination of that, but I’ll be fine. I played through it in the NCAA Tournament, so there’s nothing that’s going to take me out.”
She Decided to Play During Food Poisoning
Before the January 1, 2025, game against Colorado, Hailey got sick from food, but she nonetheless went to the court because TCU defeated the Buffaloes 63–50. She added six rebounds and three assists during her 35-minute game, which was nice for 14 points.
In a press conference after TCU’s 63-50 win over Colorado, she talked about playing even after having food poisoning.
“I mean, it’s not easy, especially with my role on the team, but, at the end of the day, the other team doesn’t care that I was sick. So, it was a tough game for me, and I just had to figure out what I could do to help us ultimately get the win. So, sometimes, it ends up just being like that where you just have to grind stuff out, and our team was still able to win, so I’ll take that over any other outcome,” she said.
She later added, “So, it was a tough game for me, and I just had to figure out what I could do to help us ultimately get the win. So, sometimes, it ends up just being like that where you just have to grind stuff out, and our team was still able to win, so I’ll take that over any other outcome.”
Hailey Van Lith keeps showing why she’s one of the toughest guards in college basketball. Whether fighting a sickness or recovering from an accident, she does it. Her stats, which include about 13.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game, say it all.