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TCU's Hailey Van Lith shrugs off criticisms about her playing 5 years of basketball
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- TCU's Hailey Van Lith shrugs off criticisms about her playing 5 years of basketball
TCU guard Hailey Van Lith has utilized every bit of her time with the team to get better.
After a less-than-fruitful tenure at LSU, Van Lith needed to go somewhere that helped elevate her game and suit her skill set. She found that with head coach Mark Campell and the Horned Frogs. Van Lith has been on a redemption tour , and her wonderful season in Fort Worth, Texas, has earned her a slew of recognitions , including Big 12 Player of the Year.
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Still, her season at TCU hasn't come without criticism. Some people question why she would play a fifth year of college basketball instead of potentially moving on, perhaps to the WNBA. However, the senior guard isn't worried about what people think of her journey. " I did go to the Olympics this summer. So, I'm doing a lot of things outside of college that a lot of other people aren't doing," Van Lith recently told the media .
Here's more from her statement on using her remaining NCAA eligibility:
"I think people only say that about me I'm one of the ones that they're paying a lot of attention to. There's a lot of girls that are taking their fifth years ... It's the new norm. It's what's gonna happen now.""It's funny to see people react and think about it negatively, but when you really analyze it, a lot of it comes down to frustration that they didn't have that opportunity. I'm not gonna allow people to make me feel bad because I was blessed with this opportunity to play five years ... ""For a female in sports, the reality is the professional level just isn't as accessible or attainable as the men's side. So, to maximize on your brand and what you bring to the table and capaitlize on your name, image and likeness, you have to take advantage of that in college."
This article originally appeared on For The Win: TCU's Hailey Van Lith shrugs off criticisms about her playing 5 years
