LOS ANGELES-- In a television interview with ESPN Friday, Class of 2026 standout Saniyah Hall announced her commitment to the University of Southern California. Hall, the consensus number one ranked prospect in her class, is a 6’1” all-around scorer attending Ohio's SPIRE Academy.
Most recently, Hall was named the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup MVP on Sunday. Ushering Team USA to its 11th straight title, the 16-year-old led all scorers with 25 points along with nine rebounds, seven assists, and two steals in the 88-76 victory against Australia in the gold medal match.
Earlier this month, Hall signed Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deal with Jordan Brand, becoming one of the brand’s youngest signees.
“It felt like family as soon as I stepped on campus,” Hall said in a recorded video statement Friday on X. At the high school-level, Hall has a rare combination of size and speed to match elite shot creation and deep shooting range–reminiscent of future teammate Juju Watkins.
FIBA
Saniyah Hall wins MVP at the FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup, July 19 2025.
The Ohio native entered her freshman year at Laurel School outside of Cleveland before transferring to prep powerhouse Montverde Academy in Florida. She is returning to Ohio to play her senior year at SPIRE Academy.
Hall joins illustrious company, as the Trojans have secured the three of the last four consensus No. 1 recruits in girls basketball, including Watkins, the reigning Naismith Player of the Year, and incoming freshman Jazzy Davidson–Hall’s USA U19 teammate.
With Watkins’ return to the court up-in-the-air since tearing her ACL in the NCAA tournament this past March, the Trojans continued recruiting success shows the program’s desire to reload instead of rebuild.
Fifth year head coach Lindsay Gottlieb brought the program its first NCAA tournament appearance in nearly a decade in the 2022-2023 season, with three straight trips to the tournament and back-to-back Elite Eight appearances during her tenure. Before Watkins’ injury in the second round, the No.1 seeded Trojans were favored to compete for the National Championship last season.