March Madness: Louisville guard Hailey Van Lith dismisses uproar over exchange with Texas’ Morris
Louisville guard Hailey Van Lith dismisses the uproar over her heated exchange with Texas’ Sonya Morris, saying trash talk is common in the NBA: “It’s women’s basketball and people treat us differently all the time.”
Louisville Cardinals guard Hailey Van Lith finished speaking about her viral post-game handshake with Texas’ Sonya Morris, saying the incident was “no big deal.”
Morris was seen confronting Van Lith in the postgame handshake line after the Cardinals won the NCAA Tournament over the Longhorns on Monday. Although the exact exchange has not been disclosed, Morris was hostile to Van Lith, who shoved the Texas senior and followed up with the handshake as he continued to direct comments at the Longhorns guard.
The clip went viral, which wasn’t a surprise to Van Lith, “because it’s women’s basketball and people treat us differently all the time.”
“I mean that happens in the NBA game every day,” Van Lith said before Friday’s regional semifinal against Ole Miss. But, you know, it really wasn’t a big deal and people are trying to stretch.
Some social media lip readers tried to deduce what was said during the heated exchange, but Van Lith dismissed those accounts.
Van Lith (pictured) is done talking about his viral post-game exchange with Texas’ Morris
The incident between Morris (left) and Van Lith (right) occurred after Monday’s game
“I’m not on social media so I don’t know what people are saying,” she said. ‘I really, particularly, don’t worry about it. But I think if you know me and watched me, it was actually a very quiet time for me.
After Monday’s game, Van Lith told the Louisville Courier-Journal that she won’t let anyone “disrespect her,” adding that her “teammates had my back.”
“And I have nothing bad to say,” Van Lith continued. They are very well trained. They have great players. So, it is what it is. People get sad when they lose. I would also be sad.
A Texas spokesperson declined to comment on the incident to DailyMail.com.
A Louisville spokesperson referred Van Lith’s post-game comments to DailyMail.com.
The good news for Van Lith is that he can play in front of family and friends on Friday in Seattle, less than three hours from his hometown in central Washington.
“I knew when they posted the regional locations that we had a chance to end up in Seattle, and it ended up working out,” Van Lith said. I’m very, very excited to play in front of my hometown and the people I grew up with. I know there will be a lot of people from Wenatchee and Cashmere, all different kinds of support. So, I hope it feels like a home game here for us.
‘I’m super excited. I haven’t played in front of a lot of family in a while, so it will be a special moment.
Texas guard Sonya Morris (11) has not disclosed what she told Louisville’s Van Lith