USC lands Hall, No. 1 hoops recruit in 2026 class

Saniyah Hall, the No. 1 player in the ESPNW class of 2026, announced her commitment Friday to USC on ESPN's "NBA Today."

"I would say it felt like home. I loved all of my teammates," Hall said of her decision. "The girls there are so fun to be around. The coaches ... have high support, but [head coach Lindsay Gottlieb] is definitely there to just support me and I've built a relationship with her -- she's a great coach."

Hall made the announcement moments after leaving her official visit to the USC campus.

Hall is coming off massive success at the U19 Women's World Cup, where she helped Team USA win the gold medal and was named MVP for her performance after she averaged 19.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.9 steals per game. She shot 52.6% from the field through the tournament, including 39.3% from behind the arc.

Hall, who spent her junior year at Montverde Academy in Florida before transferring closer to home to SPIRE Academy in Ohio for her final season, is the ultimate scorer. She has made major strides these past six months, in particular, from the 3-point line. She is tough and physical getting to the rim, handling contact on drives and post-ups. She seamlessly created in the midrange.

USC beat out North Carolina and UCLA for Hall, and has now successfully signed three of the past four No. 1 players: JuJu Watkins (2023), Jasmine Davidson (2025) and now Hall.