NJCAA All-American Mike Hall Signs with BYU

PROVO -- BYU men's basketball coach Steve Cleveland today announced he received a national letter-of-intent from Michael Hall, a first-team NJCAA All-American at Dixie State College in St. George, Utah.

"Mike is a winner who has played more than 50 games for two winning programs," Cleveland said. "I feel Mike will be a great defender on the perimeter and an aggressive offensive rebounder and slasher. His skills will complement our existing personnel very well, and I really like his character. He will be a great fit at BYU."

A 6-foot-3 sophomore guard from San Bernardino, Calif., Hall earned Scenic West Athletic Conference and NJCAA Region 18 Player of the Year accolades and Region 18 Tournament MVP honors on his way to being recognized as one of the top 10 junior college players in the country. He led the Rebels to a 30-6 record and No. 3 national finish at the NJCAA Championships in Hutchinson, Kan.

An unselfish, team-oriented player, Hall was a strong offensive force and rebounder for the Rebels while supplying tough defense on the perimeter, usually guarding the opposition's best player. His 64 steals (1.8 spg) led the Rebels. A good slashing offensive scorer, Hall was the team's top producer at 15.5 points per game while adding 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists. He shot 49.5 percent from the floor overall, including 23 threes on 31.1 percent shooting behind the arc. He shot 66.2 percent from the free throw line.

Hall led Dixie in scoring 17 times while reaching double figures in 31 of 36 games. He topped 20 points on 10 occasions, including a 25-point effort against Utah Valley State College to lead the Rebels to the NJCAA Region 18 Tournament title. He recorded game highs of 28 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists and achieved three double-doubles. In 36 games, he led the team in steals in 14 times, assists 10 times, blocks nine times and in rebounds five times.

The 205-pound guard began his college career at Pepperdine University in 2000-2001, playing 18 games for Jan van Breda Kolff in his final season coaching the Waves. Hall recorded season highs of 10 points and three rebounds for the 22-9 Waves while playing 4.7 minutes per game and averaged 1.8 points and 0.9 rebounds. Hall spent a redshirt year at Utah Valley State College before transferring to Dixie after a coaching change at UVSC.

Hall is the second player to sign with BYU this season. Michael Rose, a 6-foot-1 combo guard out of Spring Woods High School in Houston, committed to the Cougars during the early signing period in November. A four-year varsity starter and excellent three-point shooter, Rose also played four years on the Houston Hoops summer AAU team, averaging 14 points on a team that held the No. 1 national rating for much of the summer.