Bree Hall Elevating Her Play To New Heights In Junior Season
When people talk about the players that comprise South Carolina's women's basketball team, the players typically mentioned are Kamilla Cardoso, Te-Hina Paopao, Raven Johnson, and MiLaysia Fulwiley. Bree Hall is one player, however, who deserves more recognition for her play, specifically her notable improvement this season.
After serving as the Gamecocks' backup wing behind former Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year Brea Beal during her first two years in Columbia, Bree slid right into the starting lineup ahead of the 2023-24 season. While one would suspect that Hall's stat line would automatically be inflated due to the higher volume of minutes she's played in her junior campaign, Bree has proven by this point that she's one of the most dangerous offensive weapons for South Carolina, mainly in terms of efficiency.
Through 14 games, the Ohio native is averaging 10.3 points per game (a little over double her 2022-23 mark) while shooting 49.1 percent from the floor and 46.4 percent from behind the arc.
Bree Hall going up for a jumpshot against Mississippi State (7th Jan., 2023)
Jeff Blake | USA Today Network
Against Bowling Green on December 19th, Hall was the Gamecocks' second-leading scorer with 18 points, and yesterday afternoon, against Mississippi State, led the team on offense with 15 points. Dawn Staley talked about Bree's growth and impact on the team after South Carolina's win over the Bulldogs on Sunday:
"I'm super proud of Breezy. Like I'm really super proud of Breezy. She is comfortable; she's comfortable on both sides of the basketball. She's a very disciplined player. I often use her as an example [in the sense that] no matter who she's guarding, she approaches it the same way," Dawn explained. "Then it's, you know, she can score. Like she can really shoot the basketball. She can get to the basket, and I thought we probably should have put the ball in her hands a lot more - we need to be more intentional getting her the ball in places where she could be effective, and that's shooting threes, that's driving to the basket. That's her mid-range as well."
Hall's willingness to 'wait her turn' sets a great example for younger players like Sayna Jah, Fulwiley, and Tessa Johnson, who all possess a bevy of potential but, of course, need time to adjust to the program's standards. She might not get as much notoriety as some of her teammates, but Bree's career year and increased shooting prowess could be the difference in whether or not the Gamecocks bring home another natty in March.
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