Faith moves mountains. And it’s faith that Hailey Van Lith turns to after the Chicago Sky player still continues to recover from an ankle injury. And while the message is one of hope and belief, it is also a sign of a long recovery ahead.
Her message of strength reads,
“Not my will but His! Time to get the ankle right!”
The young Sky player had been one to show promise even with an already competitive team donning the Chicago black and white. But when her ankle needed surgery following the continuous discomfort, this really put a damper on her debut. Featuring in 29 of the 44 because of this is not something anyone counted on.
The injury also came at a challenging time for the Sky, who lost their longtime floor general, Courtney Vandersloot, to a season-ending ACL tear. Van Lith, as the No. 11 overall pick, was already navigating the pressure of stepping into a bigger role.
Still, the injury and her message revealed the depth of her character. In her statement, she chose faith over defeat, acceptance over despair. It’s a reminder: sometimes the toughest seasons aren’t measured in wins or losses, but in how one responds to life’s detours.
Hailey Van Lith Emphasizes Health First in WNBA Journey
Hailey Van Lith isn’t just chasing stats — she’s demanding that her body matches her ambitions. As she works her way back from ankle surgery, she’s clear on her priority: health before hype.
“The biggest thing for me is figuring out what state my body needs to be in to play at the level I need to play to be successful in the WNBA,” Van Lith said. “If I lead with that and being as in shape as possible and recomping my body, I think working on the skill-set things and the on-court things are going to come a lot easier.”
Sure, fans want the splash plays, the clutch shots, the hype. But Van Lith is insisting on a grounded mindset. Rather than pushing through pain or rushing rehabs, she’s promising to align her conditioning with her professional expectations. That’s smart — too many promising careers stall when bodies fail.
Her honesty about the process also shows growth. She knows she can’t force the leaps. She has to rebuild — not just return. If she nails her physical foundation first, the rest may just follow naturally.
Her words struck a balance: ambition with patience. They echo a deeper faith too — that some things unfold in their own time. With that attitude, she may very well show that her rookie year is just the start — not the peak.
For more basketball content, click on Hardwood Heroics. Sabel Reyes can be reached through sabelreyes22@gmail.com. Other websites under the Sports Heroics umbrella are Gridiron Heroics and Wisconsin Heroics.
Sabel has been working as a field reporter for People’s Television Network (PTV), mainly about the Philippine Basketball Association since 2016 and has been elevated to Executive Producer for sports in 2022. Aside from being on top of the Philippine sports scene, she is also a running enthusiast. You can also follow her on X at @SabelReyes2 and Instagram at @msabelreyes.
