USC continues to expand their basketball recruiting board. Thursday the Gamecocks offered 6-7 Keyshawn Hall, a native of Cleveland who this year is attending The Skill Factory in Atlanta. Wichita State offered Hall on Friday, and he also picked up a recent offer from Illinois. Gamecock assistant Brian Steele saw Hall in the summer and that’s where the relationship started.
“After I started blowing up this summer, coach Brian Steele contacted me and let me know how much I’d fit in their system and how much he likes my game, how I can be so versatile on the court,” Hall said. “He thinks I’ll be a great fit. I feel great (about the offer). First, Illinois came in, then an SEC offer came in from South Carolina. I feel great about it.”
Hall said he’s not all that familiar with the Gamecocks, though he knows they were once in the ACC, and that they went to the Final Four a few years ago.
“I heard they play real fast, and I like that,” Hall said. “That’s what I like about the SEC. He (Steele) filled me on that, they like to play real fast. They score like 80-90 points per game. I like that type of play style.”
To be a wide-body 6-7 player, Hall exhibits the skills of a smaller player as well. He said Steele likes that about him, that he can handle multiple tasks on the court.
“Coach Steele likes that I can play every position except for the five,” Hall said. “If I get the rebound, I can just push it up court, I don’t have to outlet it. As a bigger player, he likes my vision. I don’t look just to score.”
Because his recruiting activity is just starting to crank up, Hall has not scheduled any official visits. He plans to do that in December when his own schedule takes a break. He will not sign until the spring. He expects that the Gamecocks will be a factor in the long run if they choose to be.
“If they keep in contact, for sure,” Hall said. “My biggest thing is keeping in contact and showing love.”
Last season playing for Cleveland Heights High School, Hall averaged 17 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists per game.
