Hailey Van Lith addressed joining the Connecticut Sun after being waived by the Sky, describing the team's young core as a 'Young and Turnt' vibe.
Hailey Van Lith signed with the Connecticut Sun, days after the Chicago Sky waived her ahead of the 2026 regular season.
Van Lith made her Sun debut on Friday in a 31-point loss to the New York Liberty. She finished with 9 points and 4 assists in 14 minutes.
Van Lith spoke to ESPN's Alexa Philippou before the debut about joining Connecticut.
"The youthfulness of [the group], I was super excited about that," Van Lith said. "It's trending like 'the Young and Turnt.' It has the 'Young and Turnt' vibe going. I love that, because I'm a passionate player. I have a lot of energy when I'm playing, so to have people to feed off of that also brings that vibe, I think that will just amplify us."
Van Lith was the No. 11 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft out of TCU. She averaged 3.7 points and 1.1 rebounds in her rookie season with the Sky. In Chicago's preseason opener against the Phoenix Mercury, Van Lith scored 20 points and added 3 assists in 17 minutes before being waived.
Sky head coach Tyler Marsh addressed the decision to waive Van Lith.
"The worst part of this job and the business that we're in is you have to have a tough conversation and make tough decisions," Marsh said. "For us, unfortunately, sometimes it comes down to a numbers game, and it's not necessarily anything that Hailey did or didn't do. She's another one that works incredibly hard and is incredibly tough as well."
The Sky entered the 2026 season with guards Skylar Diggins-Smith, Natasha Cloud, and Courtney Vandersloot on the roster.
Van Lith joined the Sun without a preseason run with her new team. Gianna Kneepkens added 7 points and 5 rebounds off the bench in the loss to the Liberty, and Charlisse Leger-Walker scored 4 points.
Van Lith spoke after the game.
"With youth a lot of times, consistency is the issue," Van Lith said. "So, with this squad, we just have to work on putting these flashes together more often, and it's going to take commitment and work, and focus on it and practice. I think we'll have a great day of practice tomorrow and come with a better energy and mindset against the Storm."
The Sun finished 11-33 in 2025 and missed the playoffs.
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