Hailey Van Lith opens up on ‘weird’ physical attribute that impacts her every day

Not much can slow down Hailey Van Lith on the basketball court — not even the discrepancy in the length of her legs.

The TCU women’s basketball star has been vulnerable with the media lately, including last week when she opened up about being “suicidal” in the past, and now she has discussed the physical peculiarity that further challenges her every time she steps foot on the court.

Van Lith’s left leg is half an inch shorter than her right.

“There’s a lot of physiological issues that I deal with because of it,” she said after scoring 26 points to help the 2-seeded Horned Frogs beat No. 3 seed Notre Dame and advance to the Elite Eight. “My whole right side is stronger and bigger — my hand is bigger, my foot is bigger, my quad is bigger.”

Sports Illustrated’s TCU basketball reporter Nick Girimonte posed the question to Van Lith, after he read about her leg discrepancies in the past.

Van Lith’s teammates, Madison Conner and Sedona Prince, sat next to her at the press conference podium as they heard of this for the first time and poked fun at Van Lith.

Van Lith was just as shocked to hear the question, and revealed that the difference in her legs’ lengths doesn’t go unnoticed.

“I definitely always prefer to plant off my right leg,” she said. “I think fading to my left is a lot more comfortable because the leg is shorter so it probably doesn’t really touch the ground as much — just weird things like that.”

While it may affect her a bit, Van Lith has carved a tremendous collegiate career and projects to be headed to the WNBA.

The graduate student has averaged 15.2 points across her career as she utilizes her fifth and final year of eligibility with TCU. 

While this season’s NCAA Tournament is the first time the Horned Frogs have ever reached the Elite Eight, it marks Van Lith’s fifth appearance across three different schools, as she previously spent three years at Louisville and one with LSU.

She is the first player to ever accomplish that feat in men’s or women’s college basketball.

With her tremendous play thus far in the tournament, it’s safe to say that Van Lith’s stunted left leg isn’t going to stop her.

“I deal with it everyday,” she said. “But at this point in my career I’m older and I know how to manage my body in that way.”

TCU takes on No. 1 seed Texas for a spot in the Fina Four on Monday night.