Top Recruit Saniyah Hall Renews Championship Focus for USC Women’s Basketball

USC knew this season was not going to be picture-perfect. After losing one of the country’s top players in JuJu Watkins for the year due to ACL recovery, expectations understandably shifted.

One year after going 31–4 and reaching the Elite Eight, USC went 18–14 and fell in the second round of the NCAA tournament as a No. 9 seed to No. 1 South Carolina. With the defeat, the dream of winning the program's first title since the 1983–84 season was pushed to another year.

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Now, next season could have the makings of the storybook ending the team has been searching for.

Beyond Watkins’s expected return to the court, USC will welcome the top recruiting class in the country. The group is led by No. 1 recruit guard Saniyah Hall,who has already crossed paths with Watkins while playing in Overtime Select, along with five-star forwards Sitaya Fagan from Australia and Sara Okeke from Spain. Add that talent to USC’s existing core, including top 2025 recruit Jazzy Davidson who led the team in 2025–26 with 17.9 points per game, and the Trojans will have the pieces to get back into the contending mix.

Coming off an All-American season, Hall is thrilled to join the group she watched so closely from afar this year. Amid her busy schedule, she was able to experience the atmosphere at Galen Center when USC faced Ohio State in February. Usually finding herself on the bench, Hall this time was able to experience the game in the stands and root on the Trojans amongst the fans.

“Just seeing the fans, even being on the USC side when I was sitting down and just seeing how they support one another, and just the atmosphere in general,” Hall told Sports Illustrated in an interview on behalf of Oikos. “Everyone is just so tuned to the game of basketball. Being out there, I feel like it‘s just such a great feeling and I can‘t wait [to join].”

Asked what she most took away from USC’s season, Hall quickly pointed to one thing: The culture always shined through.

“They definitely stick up for one ” Hall said.“They have that ‘we over me’ attitude. So I think no one is selfish and everyone cares for each other. That’s what I’ve seen a lot this season and especially what coach Lindsay [Gottlieb] built at that school with the team is that everyone has the opportunity, and especially with the pro-style play that they have going on... She’s just helped everyone grow off the court and on the court and even in the weight room. I think everyone is just so together and that’s what I like about USC.”

Hall is coming off an impressive season of her own, having won 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup MVP after leading Team USA to gold and being named a 2026 McDonald's All-American and Naismith Trophy Girls’ High School Player of the Year semifinalist after her senior year at SPIRE Academy. She is a dynamic guard who will add another scoring punch and rebounding presence to the Trojans.

Incoming USC guard Saniyah Hall is joining Oikos' new All-Strength Team. | Amanda Westcott

Most recently, Hall was named to Oikos’ All-Strength Team of athletes, a roster created to spotlight athletes who push boundaries that will be revealed throughout the year. Hall is the only high school athlete in the group, and she credits Oikos to helping fuel her strength as she enters the collegiate level.

“For me, strength means being resilient and being strong in who you are,” Hall said. “I think that could be mentally or physically. So I think just having that backup that Oikos provides, and knowing that they’ll be there when you need some protein and everything like that, that's something I need.”

For now, Hall will focus on keeping her body healthy and fueled leading into her freshman year at USC. Asked about expectations, Hall says she feels more excitement than pressure. She knows she is joining a team of players cut from the same competitive cloth.

“We all want one goal, and that’s to get a national championship,” Hall said. “Just being able to be around people who are just great at basketball, but also great as human beings. I think we’re going to have a really, really fun season.”

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