Wayne grad’s ‘great experience’ at South Carolina ends with loss to UConn

• Three national championship game appearances.

• Two national championships.

• A four-year record of 144-7 and a .954 winning percentage, both the best marks for any senior class in school history.

“I’m so appreciative of everything that this program has done for me,” Hall, a 6-foot senior guard, told reporters after the game in Tampa, Fla. “Coach (Dawn Staley) has put me in a great position. I’ve won two national championships. It’s upsetting, of course, to lose and you’re right there. But I can’t express how appreciative I am of this program. I just had such a great experience here.”

Hall was one of three players on the roster, along with Sania Feagin and Raven Johnson, whose careers ended with the loss.

“They’re just great human beings,” Staley said. “They’ve allowed me to coach them being my uncensored self. Not a lot of coaches are able to just be who they are. I could have real conversations with them that maybe would probably hurt other people’s feelings, and they allow me to be me because they know I’m coming to them from a place of wanting them to get better, wanting them to continue their winning ways and also preparing them for the next level.

“Because when you go to the next level, it is sink or swim. It’s probably not going to be from a coach’s tongue, more so probably from a teammate, from somebody that is highly motivated, highly competitive and wants to win. Hopefully, I’ve prepared them to be able to take in that and have some staying power at the next level.”

South Carolina fell short of winning back-to-back championships for the first time in school history. Connecticut won its 12th title.

Hall scored two points on 1-of-3 shooting in her final game. She had 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting in a 74-57 victory against Texas on Friday in the national semifinals. She averaged 6.7 points in six tournament games and 6.3 points on the season. She made 8 of 12 3-pointers in the first five games before missing both of her attempts Sunday.

South Carolina finished 35-4. Two of those losses were to UConn, which beat South Carolina 87-58 in February. UConn avenged a 64-49 loss to South Carolina in the 2022 national championship game when Hall was a freshman.

“They did their thing,” Hall said. “I’ve got to give them their credit. But to sit here and be so upset about something like this when I’ve had such an incredible four years and made history at the program, it’s no reason to be super, super duper upset. Of course, it hurts. Of course, I’m competitive. Of course, I want to win. That’s a no-brainer. But I can’t express how appreciative I am of this program.

“This is something that people dream of having, of experiencing. So I’ve just got to keep moving on. It is what it is. Like I said, a lot of people dream of being in a position like this.”

Hall, who committed to South Carolina in May 2020 when she was a junior at Wayne, appeared in 147 games in her career. That’s the highest total for any four-year player in school history. She finished her career with 856 points.

According to the South Carolina game notes, Staley called Hall an elite defender and one of the best she’s seen in 25 years of coaching. Hall credited her coach after her final game.

“She’s a great coach,” Hall said. “My goodness, our relationship has grown over the last four years -- I’d say like five because she did recruit me. But it’s been great. I know I can text or call her and she’ll respond quickly because I do it now.

“I’m so appreciative. I can’t thank her enough for what she’s done for me. I’m so glad I trusted her. I’m so glad I trusted her plan.”

Hall’s next goal is to play in the WNBA.

“I’m very excited,” she said. “The WNBA is growing exponentially right now. I know there’s more teams that are planning to expand. I’m excited for what the W has got going on.”

Credit: AP

Credit: AP