Above the Rim with Keyshawn Hall: 'I want to win for Auburn'

AUBURN, Ala. – With his eye-catching statistics, Keyshawn Hall has accomplished plenty in four seasons of college basketball, but there’s one box he’s yet to check: an NCAA Tournament appearance. 

“That would mean the world to me,” Hall said. “That’s my dream. That’s the only thing left I want to accomplish in college basketball. A lot of special things happen there, and if we get there, we can do some damage.”

Auburn’s leading scorer and second-leading rebounder, Hall averages 20.8 points and 7 rebounds per game while shooting 40.8 percent from 3-point range and 86.2 percent from the free-throw line.
 
“I came here and developed my shooting,” he said. “I keep working and it shows.”

Even when his shots weren’t falling with Keyshawn’s customary accuracy in Auburn’s crucial 75-74 victory over Kentucky, Hall still affected winning by grabbing nine rebounds and leading the Tigers with seven assists.

“I just want to win. I don’t care what we have to do, I just want to win,” he said. “That’s the last thing I want to do in college basketball; I want to get to the tournament.”

Hall has helped the Tigers earn signature wins this season, scoring 32 points against Arkansas, 31 against Texas and 24 in Auburn’s resume-building road victory over defending national champion Florida. 

“The real thing I’m proud of is we stuck together,” he said. “The coaches keep giving positivity. Some good advice I once heard was it’s never too bad and it’s never too good. It’s not as good as it seems and it’s not as bad as it seems.”

Hall arrived on the Plains last summer after playing his freshman season at UNLV, his sophomore year at George Mason and his junior season at UCF, where he led the Big 12 in scoring. 

“Everyone shows love to me,” Hall said. “Even the rough stretch I was going through, they still embraced me, they’ve been showing love since I first got here.”

Hall tries to live out what Bruce Pearl told Keyshawn on his recruiting visit. 

“’If you love Auburn, they’ll love you back,’” Pearl told Hall. “I’ve been trying to love Auburn as much as I can.”

Hall also seeks to apply advice from Auburn fan favorite and NBA rookie Dylan Cardwell.

“’Try to talk to as many people as you can,’” Cardwell told Hall. “’When you see people, give them a hug and take pictures, and it comes back in a long way.’ Everything’s been great so far. It’s all love here.

“I’m a goofy person. I love when I see fans when I’m out. Don’t be shy, you can talk to me, speak to me, give me hugs, take pictures.”

The Big 12, Hall says, plays a more physical brand of basketball while SEC teams play at a faster pace.

“I feel like my game transfers anywhere,” Hall said. “It doesn’t matter, as long as I put the work in.”

Visitors to Neville Arena are likely to find Hall working on his 3-point shot, evidence of a work ethic that allows him to average a team-best 33 minutes per game.

“I try to stay ready so I never have to get ready,” said Hall, who played all 40 minutes against Mississippi State in Starkville. “When we played Mississippi State, I wasn’t tired at all. I’ve got to stay with my consistency, treatment and work and then I’ll be good.”

Seventy pounds lighter than he was as a freshman at UNLV, the 6-7, 225-pound Hall lost the extra weight in one year by running two treadmill miles each day, changing his diet and eating twice a day.

“I stopped eating bread, sugar,” he said. “I only drank water and Gatorade Zero. Fasting while running miles while still practicing. I lost a lot of muscle but I ended up building it back. It was worth it. I had to reshape my body.

“Now I feel like I can run all day, especially on the court.”

Hoping to secure his first NCAA Tournament appearance, Keyshawn Hall wants to repay Auburn for the support he’s received.

“I care about winning,” he said. “I just want to win for Auburn. It’s a dedicated fanbase. They’ve shown me love so I want to give back to them.”

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer