BYU transfer point guard Dallin Hall has committed to the Virginia Cavaliers men’s basketball program, he announced on Instagram.
Hall is a senior who comes to Charlottesville with one year of eligibility remaining following three seasons playing for the Cougars in Provo, Utah. He is now committed to UVA after reportedly fielding interest from North Carolina, Arizona, Iowa State, Indiana, Gonzaga, and other schools according to our friends at SB Nation’s BYU affiliate Vanquish the Foe.
Hall is UVA’s fifth commitment from the transfer portal this offseason, joining Martin Careere (VCU), Duke Miles (Oklahoma), Jacari White (North Dakota State), and Sam Lewis (Toledo). Impressively for the Cavaliers, that’s five portal commitments during the dead period when transfers can’t go on official visits.
At 6-foot-4, Hall is a more traditional point guard option for the Wahoos. He’s transferring out of BYU after falling out of the starting lineup due to the arrival of future NBA lottery pick Egor Demin.
As a sophomore, Hall played 29.3 minutes per game for the Cougars and started in all but four games, scoring 9.0 points per game and adding 5.1 assists and 1.0 steals per contest. With the 6-foot-9 freshman Demin in the fold, those per game averages fell to 24.6 minutes, 6.8 points, 4.2 assists, and 0.7 steals as a junior.
Hall is a quality pick up for the Wahoos. He gives them more shooting as a career 35.5% three-point shooter 3.4 attempts per game with some deep range. He also projects to be Virginia’s best facilitating guard for next season. His 27.0 assist rate last season stands out as he’s a capable passer out of a pick and roll or off a dribble drive. He can also create shots for himself from three (just 58.3% of his threes were assisted last season) or by getting to the rim, where he finished at a 57.1% clip as a junior.
Hall has some burst as well. He’s well built and, at 6-foot-4, has good size for a point guard which will be valuable playing alongside smaller guards such as Miles (6-foot-2) and Chance Mallory (5-foot-9).
How exactly the backcourt pieces fit together will be interesting to watch. When Miles committed, the logical conclusion was that he would be UVA’s starting point guard with Mallory backing him up. Now, Hall is probably the truest point guard on the Wahoo roster. At least, he’s the player with the most high-major point guard experience that Virginia has.
Hall and Miles could reasonably start alongside each other with White potentially playing the three and Lewis coming off the bench alongside Mallory and Elijah Gertrude. No matter what, this gives the ‘Hoos another creator who can feed what is becoming a healthy number of deadly catch-and-shoot weapons.
Next, Virginia will hope to add to its frontcourt. The Cavaliers could potentially add one more guard. Otherwise, they’ll want to make some splashes with big guys. Careere and incoming freshman Silas Barksdale are young depth who project to be options for the future. The ‘Hoos will want at least three and probably four bigs to complement the six guards they have rostered.
Stay tuned to Streaking the Lawn for additional news and analysis as Ryan Odom and his staff build out their team.
