UNLV basketball freshman Keyshawn Hall brings varied offensive skill set

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Monday, July 25, 2022 | 2 a.m.

In the current college basketball landscape, where the transfer portal seems to reign supreme, UNLV head coach Kevin Kruger has been very particular with his approach to high-school recruiting. In his first year in charge, Kruger added just one prep recruit (Keshon Gilbert), and just one of this year’s nine newcomers is a high school player.

That addition is Keyshawn Hall, a late bloomer with a unique and intriguing physical profile who committed to UNLV last month.

Gilbert eventually carved out a regular role last season as a true freshman; can Hall do the same?

If Hall becomes a contributor, it will most likely be due to what he brings on the offensive end. An unranked prospect originally from Ohio, Hall checks in at 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, but don’t let his size fool you, he will not be limited to the frontcourt. Hall has quick feet and can handle the ball, and his change-of-direction ability made him unguardable at the prep level.

In watching some of his games from last season, it became apparent very quickly that no one could stay in front of him. Hall was often the biggest player on the court, but also the most dangerous off the dribble:

The level of competition clearly wasn’t the highest, but Hall took advantage by going to the basket over and over again. He has a knack for slicing between help defenders, and though he’s a natural lefty, he is very comfortable finishing with his right.

His elusiveness with the dribble combined with his attack mentality made him a magnet for fouls. He constantly got defenders off-balance, then used his size to power through them:

Hall shot more than 10 free throws in each of the games I watched. That is a valuable skill if he can make it translate to the Division I level.

When teams started sending extra defenders at Hall, he was able to locate open teammates and get rid of the ball, leading directly to good shots. He even showed good vision by making some not-so-obvious passes that led to easy baskets:

Again, it’s worth noting that Hall is comfortable throwing cross-court passes off the dribble with either hand, which is a pretty advanced skill for a prep player.

Denver Prep also tried to take advantage of his passing skills by putting Hall in the post. Hall was more than happy to score when the opportunity presented itself, and his size made that a viable approach, but most of the time he was waiting for the defense to declare so he could pass out to an open teammate:

If there’s a rough edge to Hall’s offensive arsenal it’s his outside shot. His lefty stroke comes off as more of a set shot, but his mechanics seemed to change from attempt to attempt. Maintaining balance was also an issue.

It all combined to produce inconsistent results:

In the games I watched, Hall made only one jump shot.

Another area where Hall didn’t make much of an impact was in transition. With his size and skill combo I expected him to grab some defensive rebounds and lead the break upcourt, but that didn’t really happen.

When Hall got out in transition it was usually on the wing as a finisher:

There are a lot of facets to Hall’s offensive game. On defense, however, he was more difficult to scout. He was Denver Prep’s biggest player, so they opted to play him as a center on defense and put him on the back line.

That role doesn’t really come naturally to Hall. He was often a step slow as a help defender and offered little rim protection. The one time an opponent was able to iso him on the perimeter, Hall got beat off the dribble:

There’s not a lot to be learned from that video. Hall is not a shot-blocker and he’s not going to be asked to do that in college, so we’ll just have to find out how he holds up on the wing as next season goes along.

What we have learned about Hall is that he can do a lot of things on offense. His off-the-dribble game is very encouraging, and the fact that he can run an offense as an on-the-ball facilitator is pretty unique for someone listed at 250 pounds. He's fun to watch.

It might take a while for Kruger and the coaching staff to sand away the rough edges, but if Hall can put it all together at the next level there’s a chance UNLV may have found a steal from the least likely of places: high school.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.