‘I truly want to be here’ – Hailey Van Lith opens up on mental health struggles as she becomes inspirational NCAA star
Hailey Van Lith opened up about her battle with her mental health issues after a huge March Madness win. The superstar showed a vulnerability that is rare among college athletes when speaking to the media after TCU’s 85-70 victory over Louisville in the round of 32. Hailey Van Lith has opened up on her ongoing battle with her mental healthGetty “I got exposed to the media and social media at such a young age, I really struggled with mental health things,” Van Lith said, via an X post from On SI’s Nick Girimonte. “When I was younger in college, I was suicidal, I was heavily medicated, and I felt trapped. “And you would never know because I was having a ton of success on the court. “But internally, and in life in general, I was ready to be done.” Van Lith is in her fifth year as she spent the first three years of her career with the team she had just defeated, Louisville, before spending a season at LSU. She twice earned first-team All-ACC honors and led the Cardinals to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament as a sophomore in 2022. This season, she won Big 12 Player of the Year and was named an All-American. Last summer, Van Lith won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, in the 3×3 basketball event. She has seen and been through a lot at just 23 years old. And now she has TCU in its first ever Sweet 16 in program history. Van Lith and her head coach Mark Campbell shared an embrace after the Horned Frogs’ biggest win in program historyGetty Van Lith defeated the Louisville Cardinals, a school where she had spent the first three years of her collegiate careerGetty But she shed light on the fact that it wasn’t always easy. “That’s what I mean when I speak on suffering and pain, I didn’t even want to live,” Van Lith added. “And to come from that to this is incredible… Even if basketball went away today, I truly would want to be here and love these people. “That’s what I mean when I say [God] has delivered me from the worst suffering ever.” When March Madness is fully underway and everyone’s eyes shift to the sport’s biggest stars and names, it’s easy to get caught up in viewing the athletes as just cogs that make up the machine that is the NCAA Tournament. The human-element and aspect of the sport can be lost. March Madness Top Stories Ranking the greatest players in NCAA men’s March Madness history – from Michael Jordan to Magic Johnson ‘This sister is special’ – Stephen A. Smith identifies rising star who can challenge Caitlin Clark’s WNBA dominance NCAA March Madness is bigger and better than the College Football Playoff – the springtime phenomenon is bigger than ever Biggest March Madness upsets in history of NCAA Tournament – top seeds humiliated as small schools enjoy their moment Especially in this day and age with immediate gratification and social media, it’s never been easier to view college kids as just a sum of its program’s parts. The student-athletes feel the weight of the world with the pressure and expectations that come with playing college athletics. They’re juggling a million different things at once, yet are only judged by what they do on the court. Sports at its core, is an entertainment product. But the human-element will always remain the most important part. Van Lith gave an important reminder, that what everyone sees is just a fraction of their lives, and that they are humans first, and athletes second. When life is tough, Samaritans are here to listen. Call FREE, day or night, 365 days a year, on 116 123 or visit Samaritans.org If you need to talk, the 988 Lifeline is here 988lifeline.org
Hailey Van Lith opened up about her battle with her mental health issues after a huge March Madness win.
The superstar showed a vulnerability that is rare among college athletes when speaking to the media after TCU’s 85-70 victory over Louisville in the round of 32.
“I got exposed to the media and social media at such a young age, I really struggled with mental health things,” Van Lith said, via an X post from On SI’s Nick Girimonte.
“When I was younger in college, I was suicidal, I was heavily medicated, and I felt trapped.
“And you would never know because I was having a ton of success on the court.
“But internally, and in life in general, I was ready to be done.”
Van Lith is in her fifth year as she spent the first three years of her career with the team she had just defeated, Louisville, before spending a season at LSU.
She twice earned first-team All-ACC honors and led the Cardinals to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament as a sophomore in 2022.
This season, she won Big 12 Player of the Year and was named an All-American.
Last summer, Van Lith won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, in the 3×3 basketball event.
She has seen and been through a lot at just 23 years old.
And now she has TCU in its first ever Sweet 16 in program history.
But she shed light on the fact that it wasn’t always easy.
“That’s what I mean when I speak on suffering and pain, I didn’t even want to live,” Van Lith added.
“And to come from that to this is incredible… Even if basketball went away today, I truly would want to be here and love these people.
“That’s what I mean when I say [God] has delivered me from the worst suffering ever.”
When March Madness is fully underway and everyone’s eyes shift to the sport’s biggest stars and names, it’s easy to get caught up in viewing the athletes as just cogs that make up the machine that is the NCAA Tournament.
The human-element and aspect of the sport can be lost.
March Madness Top Stories
Ranking the greatest players in NCAA men’s March Madness history – from Michael Jordan to Magic Johnson
‘This sister is special’ – Stephen A. Smith identifies rising star who can challenge Caitlin Clark’s WNBA dominance
NCAA March Madness is bigger and better than the College Football Playoff – the springtime phenomenon is bigger than ever
Biggest March Madness upsets in history of NCAA Tournament – top seeds humiliated as small schools enjoy their moment
Especially in this day and age with immediate gratification and social media, it’s never been easier to view college kids as just a sum of its program’s parts.
The student-athletes feel the weight of the world with the pressure and expectations that come with playing college athletics.
They’re juggling a million different things at once, yet are only judged by what they do on the court.
Sports at its core, is an entertainment product.
But the human-element will always remain the most important part.
Van Lith gave an important reminder, that what everyone sees is just a fraction of their lives, and that they are humans first, and athletes second.
When life is tough, Samaritans are here to listen. Call FREE, day or night, 365 days a year, on 116 123 or visit Samaritans.org
If you need to talk, the 988 Lifeline is here 988lifeline.org
