NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Four-star P.J. Hall cuts list to five

P.J. Hall is a 6-foot-9 stretch big out of SC ranked inside the top-75 for the 2020 recruiting class. Which NCAA basketball programs made his final five?

As the summer AAU circuits wind down, players in the 2020 recruiting cycle that are thinking of signing in the early period (11/13-11/20) are cutting down their lists of potential suitors.  South Carolina big man P.J. Hall did just that on Friday night, trimming his official list to five schools.

The 6-foot-9 power forward with range currently has one prediction to attend Florida in the crystal ball. The Gators do indeed make the cut along with in-state school Clemson. Georgia Tech, Tennessee and Virginia Tech round out the final five.

Hall is currently ranked at No. 70 in the nation, climbing almost 120 spots since August of 2018. At 6-foot-9 and 220 pounds, he already possesses a college-ready body even though he still has another year of high school remaining. He is more crafty than athletic but has a nice polish to his game that allows him to be effective. He flashes to the hoop with intent and makes himself very big before making a single move and looking to score. Given the opportunity, he also has zero issues with dragging his man to the perimeter and shooting it from deep. In short, he has the tools to be effective as a traditional post or a pick and pop player. His versatility makes him special.

As far as which school complements Hall the most, it depends on what the young man is looking for. Florida and Tennesee are currently programs that are on the rise following recent quality coaching hires and wins on the recruiting trail. Florida will have a spot that is tailor-made for Hall as Kerry Blackshear Jr. will have only one year in Gainesville. Tennesee is also looking for re-enforcements in the frontcourt after missing out on Blackshear. They do bring in a couple of frontcourt players this year, but neither is at his level.

In fact, the common thread among Hall’s final five is that minutes will be readily available regardless of where he chooses to play. Apart from those mentioned above, Georgia Tech will lose starting center James Banks III after this season, freeing up 25-30 minutes per game. Additionally, Virginia Tech has needed help in the frontcourt for what seems like forever, and Clemson coach Brad Brownell runs a system that fits P.J. Hall’s skill set perfectly.

It would be easy to consider the two SEC schools the favorites as Georgia Tech and Clemson have both struggled in recent years pulling high-level recruits. Virginia Tech is currently a program going through a coaching transition.