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Hailey Van Lith rejoins Connecticut Sun under player development contract

IMG_6598by: Nick Kosko05/31/26nickkosko59

It didn’t take long, but Hailey Van Lith returned to the Connecticut Sun Saturday evening. The WNBA franchise signed her to a player development contract.

Initially, Van Lith was waived by the Sun earlier this week after joining the team prior to the season. The former Louisville, LSU and TCU star was drafted No. 11 overall in 2025 by the Chicago Sky before being waived May 4 this year.

It’s been a rollercoaster to put it mildly for the guard. While she won’t be on the active roster at this time, Van Lith will work under Connecticut president Jen Rizzotti, who coached Van Lith on the USA 3×3 basketball team at the Paris Olympics.

Van Lith averaged 8.1 points, 2.2 assists and 1.1 rebounds per game in nine games. She started three contests for the Sun before being released, in what was considered a surprising move.

Van Lith was waived despite shooting a career-best from three-point range, albeit on limited attempts. She had connected on 8-of-17 shots from downtown this season, sporting a 47.1% clip from deep.

She played 29 games last season for the Sky, coming off the bench, and averaged 12.4 minutes per game. Van Lith averaged 3.5 points, 1.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists and shot 33.9% from the floor.

Van Lith was the Big 12 Player of the Year while with the Horned Frogs in 2024-25 and was the conference tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. However, her collegiate success did not translate into her rookie season.

“When I was like a sophomore, I was like, ‘Who would ever take their fifth year? Like, why would anyone want to be in college for five years?” Van Lith said of her college career. “Well, that’s funny because here I am in college, my fifth year.

“But, it was, it’s been, man. It’s been, certainly, a journey and nothing I expected. It was hard. It was a lot of nights of being like, I feel like God has put this thing on my heart to be great but it’s not working out right now. And, a lot of times, I had to look at myself in the mirror and just be, like, ‘What do you want, Hailey? Like, what, who are you?’ – and I’m grateful for it.”

A popular player in the college women’s basketball space, Van Lith starred on and off the court before going to the WNBA. She was even selected for last year’s SI Swimsuit edition.