bballnut90
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Thought this deserved its own thread. Saniyah Hall is the top prospect in 2026 and a uniquely dominant #1 recruit.
Last year, she played at Monteverde Academy in Florida alongside Agot Makeer (#4 in the 2025 class), Aaliyah Crump (#5 in 2025), and Lourdes Da Silva Costa (#51 in 2025). Hall was head-and-shoulders above everyone, leading the team in points, rebounds, steals, and blocks. She averaged nearly twice as many points per game as Texas-bound Aaliyah Crump, who was the team’s #2 scorer.
This summer, Hall played on the U19 FIBA World Cup team (with teammates mostly 1–2 years older than her) and still led them to gold as tournament MVP. She averaged 19.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.9 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. The roster included 2025 #1 recruit Jazzy Davidson, #2 recruit Sienna Betts, UCONN’s Kayleigh Heckel, and other top incoming recruits. Hall especially shined in the biggest games:
Quarterfinals (5-point win vs. France): 26 points, 6 rebounds, 11-22 FG
Semifinals (12-point win vs. Spain): 16 points, 4 rebounds, 4-7 FG
Finals (12-point win vs. Australia): 25 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 0 TOs, 8-16 FG
From the clips I’ve seen, Hall’s game has shades of Maya Moore and Tamika Catchings: great all-around skill set, relentless motor, unselfish play, and high activity. I’m not sure she’s quite as athletic as those two, but given how she stands out on elite rosters, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s a 20+ ppg scorer from day one at USC.
Looking ahead to USC in 2026–27, they’re shaping up to have one of the most unusual yet intriguing rosters I’ve seen. They’ll likely start four oversized wings: 6'1 Jazzy Davidson, 6'2 Juju Watkins, 6'1 Kennedy Smith, and 6'1 Saniyah Hall—with no true PG and no true post. I’ll make an early prediction that Davidson takes over PG duties, or they’ll use a combo approach with her and Watkins. Either way, I can’t see any of those four wings coming off the bench. To complete the lineup, I’d expect Gottlieb to aggressively target a transfer center next spring.
Getting everyone to gel together may lead to styles clashing, as USC’s offense the past two years was essentially “get it to Juju and get out of the way.” Davidson and Hall bring different skill sets and will demand more balanced shot distribution. I also think this likely kills any chance of Juju breaking Caitlin Clark's record (Watkins will need to average 29-30 per game and play every game for 2 more seasons to have a shot at it).
Looking at Davidson and Hall specifically, they played very well together on USA basketball and were arguably the two main standouts for the Gold medal team. 3 years of having those two in the lineup (plus at least one of those years with Juju Watkins) should make USC the heavy title favorite for several years.
Last year, she played at Monteverde Academy in Florida alongside Agot Makeer (#4 in the 2025 class), Aaliyah Crump (#5 in 2025), and Lourdes Da Silva Costa (#51 in 2025). Hall was head-and-shoulders above everyone, leading the team in points, rebounds, steals, and blocks. She averaged nearly twice as many points per game as Texas-bound Aaliyah Crump, who was the team’s #2 scorer.
This summer, Hall played on the U19 FIBA World Cup team (with teammates mostly 1–2 years older than her) and still led them to gold as tournament MVP. She averaged 19.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.9 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. The roster included 2025 #1 recruit Jazzy Davidson, #2 recruit Sienna Betts, UCONN’s Kayleigh Heckel, and other top incoming recruits. Hall especially shined in the biggest games:
Quarterfinals (5-point win vs. France): 26 points, 6 rebounds, 11-22 FG
Semifinals (12-point win vs. Spain): 16 points, 4 rebounds, 4-7 FG
Finals (12-point win vs. Australia): 25 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 0 TOs, 8-16 FG
From the clips I’ve seen, Hall’s game has shades of Maya Moore and Tamika Catchings: great all-around skill set, relentless motor, unselfish play, and high activity. I’m not sure she’s quite as athletic as those two, but given how she stands out on elite rosters, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s a 20+ ppg scorer from day one at USC.
Looking ahead to USC in 2026–27, they’re shaping up to have one of the most unusual yet intriguing rosters I’ve seen. They’ll likely start four oversized wings: 6'1 Jazzy Davidson, 6'2 Juju Watkins, 6'1 Kennedy Smith, and 6'1 Saniyah Hall—with no true PG and no true post. I’ll make an early prediction that Davidson takes over PG duties, or they’ll use a combo approach with her and Watkins. Either way, I can’t see any of those four wings coming off the bench. To complete the lineup, I’d expect Gottlieb to aggressively target a transfer center next spring.
Getting everyone to gel together may lead to styles clashing, as USC’s offense the past two years was essentially “get it to Juju and get out of the way.” Davidson and Hall bring different skill sets and will demand more balanced shot distribution. I also think this likely kills any chance of Juju breaking Caitlin Clark's record (Watkins will need to average 29-30 per game and play every game for 2 more seasons to have a shot at it).
Looking at Davidson and Hall specifically, they played very well together on USA basketball and were arguably the two main standouts for the Gold medal team. 3 years of having those two in the lineup (plus at least one of those years with Juju Watkins) should make USC the heavy title favorite for several years.