Emotions took over 5th-tear senior Hailey Van Lith during a post-game press conference, occurring just after she helped lead her team to a second victory in the opening weekend of March Madness. Van Lith, physically and mentally exhausted after overcoming constant double-teams and unrelenting pressure, broke down while giving credit for her strength to God.
“I’m standing on God’s shoulders right now…it’s all glory to God,” Van Lith said, trying to maintain composure but clearly overcome with a litany of emotions. Red in the face from crying and wiping away tears, Van Lith admitted she “would be nothing without Him” and that her success is evidence of “God working.” An unidentified second person, possibly her coach, can be seen comforting her with a hand on her back.
Playing in the tournament would be enough to heighten emotions. Playing as a 5th-year senior and knowing you’re one game away from ending your collegiate career would be another. Knowing your team is leaning on you, the star player, adds another element. But to top it all off, Van Lith’s #2-seeded Texas Christian University was playing their second game against #7 Louisville, which happened to be her previous school before transferring in 2022-23.
Speaking to reporters, Van Lith overcame her exhaustion and emotions to deliver a moving acknowledgement of the power of her own faith in God. “It’s a blessing. But I really am, I’m really standing on God’s shoulders right now. You guys ,He’s delivered me from so much man and so much pain and suffering and confusion, and I just it’s all glory to God,” she said.
“Truly, I would be nothing without Him, and in the darkest moments of my life, He never turned his face from me, and I just couldn’t be more grateful to experience His love in this moment. So, you know, all those people are wearing my jersey out there, but it’s for a greater purpose. And you know it’s, it’s God working, man.” Watch her emotional press conference and shout out to God below:
The game was dubbed the “Hailey Van Lith revenge game,” although this is as much the media doing what media does best and generate buzz as it was about any revenge per se. Nowadays, it is common – for better or worse – for players to transfer and seek out the most desirable place for them to play, get paid, get exposure, etc. Van Lith had previously indicated she chose TCU to hopefully position herself for the WNBA draft. And why not?
One of the biggest arguments for allowing player transfers was that their coaches could come and go freely, all while collecting massive paychecks. If a certain coach recruited you to play at their school, but then bounced shortly after, they could leave but the player was stuck, despite perhaps only joining a program because of the individual for whom they’d be playing. What’s more, schools could monetize their players’ success heavily and in the past they and they alone collected the revenues. This isn’t to say there hasn’t been downside to the new rules (and there are plenty), but as it relates to the media’s “revenge game” narrative many sports fans just aren’t buying it.
Featured image: Screen shot from embedded video