Hailey Van Lith reunites with Angel Reese in WNBA after teaming up during historic college career

NEW YORK (AP) — Hailey Van Lith shared some hugs with family and then a kiss with NBA player Jalen Suggs, who was thrilled that the Chicago Sky selected his girlfriend with the No. 11 pick in the WNBA draft on Monday night.

So was Angel Reese.

Van Lith and Reese, college teammates at LSU, will be reunited as pros and can't wait to get back to work.

“We both are just tough dogs on the court,” Van Lith said. "I mean, she’s willing to do things that aren’t pretty to win, and I’m talking about aggressive rebounding, defense, things that aren't what we call sexy basketball.

“She’s willing to execute those things to get a win. And I think that I share that character trait with her.”

That's part of what drew the Sky to Van Lith, who showed those traits as the first player to be part of three teams that reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. First it was during her three seasons at Louisville, then one at LSU before spending this past season at TCU.

LSU was attempting to defend its 2023 national title when Caitlin Clark and Iowa stopped the Tigers in the regional final in Reese's final college game.

Now, she and Van Lith will see what they can do together as pros.

“We ain’t do it right the first time,” Reese wrote on X. “Let’s run it backkkkk.”

Suggs, who plays for the Orlando Magic, was standing and smiling after Van Lith's name was called by Commissioner Cathy Englebert. She waved back toward where he was standing, then eventually walked over for a kiss and hug.

Suggs had also been there to cheer in the NCAA Tournament, wearing Van Lith's jersey during their run to the Elite Eight.

Reese had been supporting as well. Van Lith said the former teammates had remained in contact during the season, when Van Lith was voted Big 12 player of the year at her new school.

Now they will try to help the Sky rebound from a 13-27 record in Reese's rookie season, when she grabbed the most rebounds ever by a first-year player.

“We have a very mature relationship, a mutual respect relationship where we both have respect for each other’s game and also the character and the person we are off the court,” Van Lith said. “So, mostly I’m just excited to get to be around her again. I think we have a lot of similarities about how we carry ourselves and our mindset on what’s important to us.

"And, you know, she’s a dog, man. She turns up the intensity of everybody around her. So, I’m excited to be in that environment with her again, where she can pull more out of me than than I think I have.”

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

TCU's Hailey Van Lith, right, embraces WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected 11th overall by the Chicago Sky during the first round of the WNBA basketball draft, Monday, April 14, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

TCU's Hailey Van Lith poses before the WNBA basketball draft, Monday, April 14, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

TCU's Hailey Van Lith, right, poses for a photo with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected 11th overall by the Chicago Sky during the first round of the WNBA basketball draft, Monday, April 14, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

TCU's Hailey Van Lith poses before the WNBA basketball draft, Monday, April 14, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

TCU's Hailey Van Lith, right, poses for a photo with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected 11th overall by the Chicago Sky during the first round of the WNBA basketball draft, Monday, April 14, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)