Latest news with #recruit
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Saniyah Hall, No. 1 recruit in class of 2026 makes college committment
Saniyah Hall, the top recruit for the class of 2026, has made her commitment to play college basketball. The SPIRE Academy star has committed to USC. She is the third top overall prospect in the last four seasons to commit to the Trojans. She joins JuJu Watkins and Jazzy Davidson. Hall started her high school career at Laurel School in Shaker Heights, Ohio. She then went to Montverde Academy in Florida. Earlier this summer, she transferred to SPIRE Academ,y where she will play her senior season. MORE: Why Kansas coach Bill Self underwent heart procedure Earlier this month, she signed a NIL deal with Nike's Jordan Brand. Hall was the MVP of the FIBA Under-19 World Cup, and helped her team to a gold medal. USC beat out North Carolina and UCLA for the services of Hall. More College Basketball: Memphis Tigers left empty-handed after bold Big-12 proposal falls flat
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
USC women's basketball lands top recruit Saniyah Hall. Why she picked Trojans
Southern California women's basketball team has landed another top recruit. Saniyah Hall, the top female high school basketball recruit in the class of 2026, according to ESPN's rankings, has committed to play for USC after receiving offers from nearly 30 schools, including UConn, UCLA, South Carolina, North Carolina and LSU. The 16-year-old made the announcement on ESPN's "NBA Today" on Friday, saying, USC "felt like home." "It's such a blessing to be in this position, but I think I truly found my home, and I'm ready to tell the world where I'm going," she said before revealing a Trojans shirt underneath her jacket. "I am headed to the University of Southern California. Go Trojans! Fight on." Hall's announcement comes on the heels of her gold medal win with Team USA at the FIBA Under-19 World Cup. She was named MVP after averaging 19.9 points and 6.4 rebounds, shooting 52.6% from the field and 39.3% on 3-pointers. She scored 25 points vs. Australia in the gold-medal game. Her 19.9 points per game may have set a USA U19 record, but Hall said she's proudest of her defense: "I had a lot of steals that game and a lot of blocks." She'll join a Trojans squad that is assembling elite talent under coach Lindsay Gottlieb. McDonald's All-American Jazzy Davidson, the third overall recruit in the 2025 class, who competed alongside Hall on the USA U19 team, also committed to play for USC. The Trojans were 31-4 last season and lost to UConn in an Elite Eight game after superstar Juju Watkins went down with an ACL injury during the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Hall said Gottlieb and her teammates led to her choice to commit to USC. On Friday, she said, "I love all my teammates. The girls there are so fun to be around definitely Lindsay (Gottlieb)... she's definitely there to support me and I've built a relationship with her. She's a great coach." The Ohio native will finish her senior season of high school basketball at SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio. Last season, she played for Montverde (Florida) Academy and averaged 20.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.4 blocks. Hall signed an NIL deal with Jordan brand earlier this month. During her announcement, Hall said, "I don't have anything to prove. I just go out, play basketball. I let my game do the talking. Actions speak for themselves." The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fastDownload for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Saniyah Hall commits to USC women's basketball as top recruit in 2026
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Top 2026 recruit Saniyah Hall commits to USC women's basketball
Saniyah Hall, the top-ranked recruit in the class of 2026, has committed to USC. Hall, a 6-foot-1 forward out of Spire Institute, recently starred at the U19 FIBA World Cup. She earned tournament MVP honors while helping Team USA win gold this summer. Hall was among only three 16-year-olds on the American roster, playing alongside several teammates who are already playing in college or entering college this year. Against Australia in the final, Hall scored 25 points on 50 percent. Despite being the second-youngest player, she led Team USA with 19.9 points per game, ranking third overall in scoring, fourth in steals and eighth in blocks. By adding Hall, USC has further established itself as one of the premier destinations in women's college basketball. Coach Lindsay Gottlieb signed sensation JuJu Watkins, the No. 1 recruit in 2023, then followed up by landing the No. 1 class in 2024. Jazzy Davidson, a top-three recruit in the class of 2025, is also set to join USC this fall. Hall is just the latest elite high school star drawn to the program's rising national profile. Watkins, The Athletic's reigning Player of the Year, sustained a season-ending right knee injury during the NCAA Tournament in March and is expected to miss time next season. Her lengthy rehabilitation could open the door for a return — potentially alongside Hall — for her senior season in 2026. The Trojans went 31-4 last year, winning the Big Ten regular season title and earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. (Photo: Julie Vennitti Botos / USA Today) This article originally appeared in The Athletic. USC Trojans, Women's College Basketball 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Top 2026 recruit Saniyah Hall commits to USC women's basketball
Saniyah Hall, the top-ranked recruit in the class of 2026, has committed to USC. Hall, a 6-foot-1 forward out of Spire Institute, recently starred at the U19 FIBA World Cup. She earned tournament MVP honors while helping Team USA win gold this summer. Hall was among only three 16-year-olds on the American roster, playing alongside several teammates who are already playing in college or entering college this year. Against Australia in the final, Hall scored 25 points on 50 percent. Despite being the second-youngest player, she led Team USA with 19.9 points per game, ranking third overall in scoring, fourth in steals and eighth in blocks. SANIYAH MAKING EM DANCE 💃 @saniyahhall_ #USABWU19 x #FIBAU19 — USABJNT (@usabjnt) July 19, 2025 By adding Hall, USC has further established itself as one of the premier destinations in women's college basketball. Coach Lindsay Gottlieb signed sensation JuJu Watkins, the No. 1 recruit in 2023, then followed up by landing the No. 1 class in 2024. Jazzy Davidson, a top-three recruit in the class of 2025, is also set to join USC this fall. Hall is just the latest elite high school star drawn to the program's rising national profile. Advertisement Watkins, The Athletic's reigning Player of the Year, sustained a season-ending right knee injury during the NCAA Tournament in March and is expected to miss time next season. Her lengthy rehabilitation could open the door for a return — potentially alongside Hall — for her senior season in 2026. The Trojans went 31-4 last year, winning the Big Ten regular season title and earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
New York Times
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Arch Manning is comfortable in the spotlight, but wants to earn it: ‘Talk is cheap'
ATLANTA — It was, Arch Manning would say later, good to get away from everybody. A boys' trip, he and his three best friends from high school went to San Diego on a long weekend this summer. They played some golf, hit the town, went to a Padres game. And never dealt with anyone recognizing him. 'No!' Manning said, his face brightening. 'It was kind of refreshing. It felt great.' Advertisement Not that he has a problem dealing with fame. Not growing up as Archie Manning's grandfather. Not growing up as Peyton and Eli Manning's nephew. Not even the past few years, as he became the nation's top football recruit, then the nation's top backup quarterback. That was when the fame got annoying. Manning would walk to class on the University of Texas campus and people would take his picture, ask for selfies. He hadn't done anything for his team yet, didn't like the attention. So he would call his mom on the way to class, or pretend to be on the phone. The not playing part was harder. He knew it was a strong possibility when he chose Texas, which had Quinn Ewers for one, maybe two years — it was two, it turns out. For Manning to go there anyway, for the five-star to be the backup for two years in the day of the transfer portal, oh, everyone talked about Manning's maturity and unselfishness. What most didn't see was Manning, as a freshman, venting in the film room to Paul Chryst, the former Wisconsin coach who was on Texas' staff. 'It was an hour of me watching film — and an hour of me venting,' Manning said. Those darker days in a darkened film room are gone. The spotlight, and the pressure that goes with it, has returned. The Arch Manning era is underway. 'Arch Manning will be at Position 2 in the front of the room,' said the moderator in the main room at SEC media days on Tuesday. And with that, a horde of media formed around Position 2, the biggest scrum of the first two days, probably all week. Rows deep of people trying to get camera shots. One media member kept trying to get on the stage to get a better shot, despite repeated warnings. Talking ball 🎙️ @ArchManning — Texas Football (@TexasFootball) July 15, 2025 'I'm not gonna tell you again,' an SEC staffer said, as the reporter sheepishly got down. Yes, he's a Manning, which is a big part of it. But the attention also comes from being talked about as a Heisman front-runner and the possible No. 1 pick in the draft. Preseason accolades that confound detractors, such as … Arch Manning. Advertisement 'I'm not really sure how they get these opinions. I've only played what, two games,' he said. 'I guess that's nice to say. But you know, that doesn't mean anything. Talk is cheap, I've gotta go prove it.' There's a lot still to play out. There's no assurance the hype is real. But if Manning plays as well as he interviews, he's going to be fine. The affability of his grandfather and uncles has rubbed off. So has the comfort before a camera, to a point. 'They're better actors than me,' he said. What Arch does have on his uncles is that he's a better runner, as the world saw last year when he served as a change-of-pace quarterback, subbed in when Steve Sarkisian wanted his Texas offense to give the defense a different look. A plot twist for the nephew of two pocket quarterbacks, who have said that speed skips a generation. Unfairly, according to their nephew. Sarkisian said Manning probably won't 'major' in running as the now-permanent starter. But it does give the offense flexibility, and Manning's knowledge of the system, and game snaps, mean Sarkisian can keep the playbook open. 'We've got a sense and a feel of things that he does really well,' Sarkisian said. 'And we can highlight those things all while still staying true systematically to who we are.' Sarkisian also spoke about Manning's calmness and quick wit, something that will help in what should be a long season: Texas has a mammoth opener, at defending national champion Ohio State, then has an SEC slog that includes a November trip to Georgia, and then potentially the College Football Playoff. The pressure may now be on Manning. But it may be that the long wait to play has Manning feeling less pressure and more relief to be playing again. 'You've got to walk the walk first. As much as it wasn't always fun sitting the first two years, I've got a lot of respect for my teammates, who were playing,' he said. 'Now I come at it from a place of love, not just being a turd.' Advertisement The last word made reporters laugh, as they kept doing during an extended session with Manning. Across the room, Texas safety Michael Taaffe noticed. 'I didn't know that he was very funny,' Taaffe said. 'So I think you're kind of giving us some pity laughs.' He was joking. Manning has too many role models to not be good at this. 'And I think his granddad always told him 'the shorter the better,'' Taaffee said. Short but still revealing enough. Like when Manning acknowledged that while he doesn't post much on social media, he does check it often. Enough so that someone online — Robert Ratliff, a former walk-on player at Ole Miss — offered him $20 if he didn't check it for an entire week. Manning took him up on the offer, and deleted his apps before coming to Atlanta. 'So I won't know if I did good or bad in these interviews,' he said. 'Till Sunday.' The reviews for this should be good. The actual football? Well, it's finally time to find out. 'I'm ready to roll,' Manning said.
