Hailey Van Lith’s dad Corey Van Lith couldn’t contain his excitement during a viral moment caught on video.
According to USA Today, the TCU star scored 24 points to lead her team to victory on March 29 in the NCAA Women’s Tournament. But it was the moment that she sank a three-pointer toward the end of the game that had her dad leave his seat.
“That’s dad. He’s loving it,” the announcer said during the ESPN broadcast after Hailey’s father Corey Van Lith and Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs shared a chest bump and a couple of celebratory handshakes.
According to USA Today, Hailey Van Lith and Suggs previously dated three years ago.
Another viral video showed a slightly closer view of the viral moment.
Some fans enjoyed the moment, but others poked fun at Suggs’ balding mane.
According to USA Today, after the March 29 victory, Hailey Van Lith became the first player “to lead three different teams to the Elite Eight.”
Corey Van Lith was also an athlete. In 2019, the University of Puget Sound wrote, “Corey Van Lith’s 17-year-old daughter, Hailey, is one of the country’s top high school basketball recruits. The Cashmere High School junior has been playing basketball since fourth grade, according to a February KING 5 News story.”
Hailey Van Lith #10 of the TCU Horned Frogs celebrates after a three point basket against the Louisville Cardinals late in the second half of a Second Round game of the women’s NCAA basketball tournament at Schollmaier Arena on March 23, 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas.
That story noted. “It has offers from nearly every major college in the country, including the University of Connecticut, Notre Dame, and Baylor. Corey played basketball and baseball as a Logger and is now Hailey’s strength coach, pushing her at the gym every day. Cashmere High School’s girls’ basketball coach Brent Darnell told KING 5 that the father-daughter pair are ‘a perfect match for one another’ and that they make each other better.”
