There’s a lot of old school in LSU Lady Tigers head basketball coach Kim Mulkey.

The unparalleled success of her Baylor and LSU programs have been built by making talented players fundamentally sound.

That doesn’t sound sexy, but it’s what was drilled into her as college player at Louisiana Tech in the early 1980s and it remains the non-negotiable building block of her success with four national titles and counting..

But Mulkey also realizes as times change, she must go with the flow in areas she may been uncomfortable with in the past.

So while she initially had reservations about the transient nature of the NCAA transfer portal, it has allowed her to build a national championship program in just her second season at LSU.

And it sometimes gives her second chances of getting players she originally tried to recruit who signed elsewhere.

Which is case for Louisville guard Hailey Van Lith, who in November 2019 was the state of Washington’s high school Player of the Year when she chose the Cardinals over then-Mulkey coached Baylor.

On Thursday after 101 starts in 101 games in three seasons at Louisville where Van Lith scored 1,554 points and averaged 15.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists as two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference first-team guard, she announced she was transferring to LSU.

“Coach Mulkey and I have had a great relationship since I was in high school," Van Lith said. "I am extremely excited and honored to have an opportunity to play for her. She will help elevate my game and push me to be successful at the next level.”

After Van Lith’s announcement, Caesar’s sports book in Las Vegas made LSU a co-favorite with UConn to win the 2024 national title.

Van Lith comes to LSU as a graduate transfer with two seasons of eligibility. She was rated the top player in the transfer portal ahead of DePaul forward Aneesah Morrow who was reportedly on her official LSU visit Thursday.

The Van Lith-Mulkey marriage seems like a no-brainer since Van Lith has the same fire, basketball I.Q. and court awareness Mulkey possessed as a college player before transferring it to her coaching.

“I am very familiar with the skill set and work ethic Hailey brings to Baton Rouge,” Mulkey said. “She will bring a wealth of experience and talent to our backcourt. Hailey has a fiery personality and passion for the game that Tiger fans will love."

Van Lith, who plays wearing pigtails as Mulkey did as a player, carries herself with the same swag and confidence as LSU first-team All-America forward Angel Reese.

Reese responded to Van Lith’s Thursday commitment to LSU by tweeting “Oh it’s UP.”

“LSU’s team is full of great players," Van Lith said. "I am overjoyed to have the opportunity to play with them. I know that my teammates will embrace my competitiveness and fire.”

Mulkey made it clear repeatedly all season, especially during media availability throughout the NCAA tournament, that she enjoys coaching players who don’t mind being seen and heard.

“I think we've got a locker room full of kids who like tough love,” Mulkey said after one of LSU’s NCAA tourney wins. “I don't have a locker room of a bunch of passive ones, as you know. They will tell you how they feel. They'll talk trash on the floor. You have to be a very strong coach to coach this many personalities.”

Van Lith will take over the point guard role vacated by graduating senior Alexis Morris, who was often more of a playmaker until it was time for her to score such as in the fourth quarter of hotly-contested games.

Mulkey is also looking for experienced immediate help to replace forward LaDazhia Williams and guard Jasmine Carson, both of whom graduated.

Williams took some of the inside scoring load off Reese, which is why Mulkey is targeting DePaul’s 6-1 Morrow.

The second-team AP and USBWA All-American has averaged 23.7 points and 13 rebounds in her first two college seasons and has 53 career doubles in 66 games.

The Lady Tigers’ incoming recruiting class already in the fold features national top 10 signees Mikaylah Williams and Aalyah Del Rosario.