Hailey Van Lith (Photo by David GRAY / AFP) (Photo by DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty Images)
Led by Hailey Van Lith, USA Basketball’s 3×3 women’s team is expected to challenge for the gold in Paris.

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The TCU guard is the lone collegiate player to represent Team USA on any of the four Olympic basketball teams.

Things got off to a terrible start on Tuesday.

In the opening round against Team Germany, the United States lost the game by a score of 17-13.

This was a shocking result since the USA started the game on a 5-0 run.

Following the shocking loss, many took to social media to ask the same questions about why Van Lith was even on the team.

For those who are unaware, Hailey Van Lith is new to this; she is true to it.

Hailey Van Lith Has Previous Experience With 3×3 Basketball

Hailey has won five gold medals representing the United States in international competition, two of which came in 3×3 basketball: the 2023 FIBA 3×3 World Cup and the 2019 FIBA 3×3 Under-18 World Cup, per Wikipedia.

She found out last month that she would be joining Team USA in France, and she was overcome with emotion.

This was a great moment for her as she struggled badly in her lone season with the LU Tigers as she tried to learn a new position that led to career lows across the board.

In addition to Van Lith, the team includes Cierra Burdick, who was also a member of the gold medal-winning team at the 2023 FIBA 3×3 World Cup, and WNBA stars Dearica Hamby and Rhyne Howard.

The team initially had WNBA rookie Cameron Brink, but she suffered a torn ACL that ended her year.

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