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Chicago Sky guard Hailey Van Lith praised Courtney Vandersloot ahead of the upcoming season. She talked about how she regularly followed Vandersloot during the team's practices to learn tips and tricks of the game from her.
Speaking in an interview with WGN-TV reporter Kaitlin Sharkey on Monday, the former TCU star also admitted that her constant monitoring of Vandersloot may have felt like "stalking" the veteran guard.
"I mean, all practice," Van Lith said. "She (Vandersloot) probably thought I was stalking her. I literally was like staring at her all practice. Like, 'what are you doing right now? What read are you making?'
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"But no, especially when we were playing and my team wasn't on, like getting to see her make reads and manipulate defenses and live action. It's, I'm super blessed to have her in the gym and be able to learn from her. She's probably one of the, if I could pick any vet in the league, she would be the one that I would pick to learn from."
Vandersloot is a five-time WNBA All-Star and two-time champion, leading the Sky to their first championship in 2021 and winning her second with the New York Liberty last season. She is also a 14-year league veteran, and Van Lith is eager to learn a lot from Vandersloot ahead of her rookie season.
Hailey Van Lith reunites with Angel Reese in Chicago
Before entering the WNBA, Hailey Van Lith and Angel Reese were teammates with the LSU Tigers in the 2023-24 season. The duo is set to continue their on-court partnership after Van Lith was selected No. 11 by Chicago in the draft.
Van Lith opened up about her reunion with Reese.
"Meetings have picked up where we left off," Van Lith said on Monday, via WGN-TV. "We had like a team dinner last night, and we were cracking jokes all dinner. She has great energy, and I think one thing about Angel that a lot of people don't give her credit for is she does have like a selfless leader mindset.
"Like she went out of her way to make sure that my mindset is right, that my energy is right, that I'm feeling comfortable."
Van Lith and Reese will look to start the season on a positive note when they face the Indiana Fever on May 17.
