St. John's Basketball Rightfully Receives Great Grade for Addition of Keyshawn Hall

What grade should St. John's basketball be given for the addition of Keyshawn Hall?

Auburn Tigers forward Keyshawn Hall (7) dunks the ball as Auburn Tigers take on Wofford Terriers at Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala. on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. Auburn Tigers defeated Wofford Terriers 93-62. / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

With the college basketball season getting closer to the start of the 2026-27 campaign, the St. John’s Red Storm will be looking to take another step forward as a program. 

Following a very successful year last season, St. John’s and head coach Rick Pitino will be looking for more. With this being his fourth year with the program, Pitino has done a nice job of changing the culture very quickly for the program, and the Red Storm are one of the top two teams in the Big East now. 

This offseason, it was no surprise that Pitino continued to work in the transfer portal to improve this team. Since coming to St. John’s, Pitino has been one of the best in the country at adding talent in the portal, and this year has been no different. Recently, he was able to add another player, who, while his eligibility might be in question, could be a massive addition. 

Isaac Trotter and Cameron Salerno of CBS Sports recently graded some of the new five-for-five players that have joined new teams. For St. John’s, they recently added one of these players with the hope that he will remain eligible in Keyshawn Hall from the Auburn Tigers. As a prolific scorer, the Red Storm wisely received a strong grade of an “A” 

Hall Can Make Major Impact 

Auburn Tigers forward Keyshawn Hall (7) celebrates his dunk as Auburn Tigers take on Texas A&M Aggies at Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala. on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. Auburn Tigers lead Texas A&M Aggies 47-37 at halftime. / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

While there will be a ton of looming questions about whether or not these players will be eligible to play, Hall currently is, and the assumption until proven otherwise will have to be that he is on the team. 

Due to the loss of Donnie Freeman for the season, adding a player of Hall’s caliber felt like a major need. Last season with the Tigers, he averaged 19.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. 

From an offensive standpoint, there is a ton to like about Hall’s game. As one of the best scorers in the SEC, Hall was pretty efficient as well from the field. With a field-goal percentage of 45.1, three-point percentage of 37.9, and free-throw percentage of 85.7, Hall can beat opponents a lot of different ways. 

While the offensive game speaks for itself, defense, rebounding, and stamina will be key coming to St. John’s. The Big East is still a very tough and physical conference, and Hall will have to be prepared for some challenging games. 

Overall, the Red Storm will firstly hope that he remains eligible. He has the ability to be a great player for the program and, with the loss of Freeman, fills a major role.