The kid from Carlsbad came home Saturday night. Jake Hall returned to San Diego, scoring 15 points and handing out five assists for New Mexico in an 83-79 loss to San Diego State at Viejas Arena.
“I grew up going to that arena,” said Hall, last week’s Mountain West Freshman of the Week, during open media availability before the game. “It’s definitely going to be a cool experience. I’ve had that one circled on the calendar.”
Hall, who scored 3,106 points during his Carlsbad High School career — second all-time in San Diego Section history — returned for his first, and potentially only, game at SDSU, with the Aztecs set to join the new Pac-12 next season.
Led by head coach Eric Olen, multiple assistants who followed him from UC San Diego, and San Diego-raised players Hall, Luke Haupt, and Chris Howell, the Lobos (14-4) are very much a team steeped in surf-and-beach basketball.
The team held practice at Viejas Arena on Friday, then Olen, Hall and others traveled north to Solana Beach to watch Hall’s younger brother, Dax, and Santa Fe Christian host Francis Parker, featuring Lobos junior commit Tavid Johnson.
Dax Hall, who is averaging nearly 30 points per game, is reportedly considering joining his older brother in New Mexico next year. Francis Parker edged Santa Fe Christian 63-60, dropping the Eagles to 18-2.
Jake Hall estimated that 20 to 25 family members and friends were on hand to watch him play for the Lobos at SDSU. Among them was his coach at Carlsbad, Clark Allard, who made a quick turnaround after Carlsbad’s 1 p.m. game —a 61-54 loss to Santiago that dropped the Lancers to 8-12 — to head south for the 5 p.m. tipoff.
“I talk to him pretty much every week, usually multiple times a week,” Allard said. “And I still don’t think he’s really scratching the surface yet — just knowing the efficiency I know he can play with and some of the looks he’s been getting. He’s leading the team in scoring, he just got Mountain West Freshman of the Week, and he’s been great.
“But sitting on the sideline watching him for four years, I know he’s not close to his full potential. With a kid like that, there’s really no limit. You tell me in a couple years he’s playing in the NBA, I wouldn’t think that’s crazy. He’s got the work ethic, he’s got the skills, he’s got the efficiency.”
On the impact of playing with Hall at Carlsbad, Lancer senior guard Briggs Young said:
“Jake is one of the smartest players I’ve ever met and watched play. His IQ stands out on the court, and his footwork is incredible. He knows how to play the game the right way. … He’s also a huge role model and has pushed me to be better on and off the court with my work ethic.”
Checkdowns
Carlsbad trio makes Division I jump: The standout triumvirate from Carlsbad’s 2024 Open Division Section Championship team — Hall, Tony Duckett and Jael Martin — are all playing at the Division I level this season. Duckett, a sophomore guard who transferred from USD to Saint Mary’s this year, came off the bench for eight points in seven minutes in a 62-54 loss to Santa Clara on Saturday. He’s averaging 3.6 points a game. Martin, a redshirt freshman forward at Loyola Marymount, is averaging 2.2 points per game across 12 contests.
Clippers get boost in Mexico City: The San Diego Clippers improved to 5-7 on the season with a 115-96 road win in Mexico City over the Mexico City Capitanes on Sunday. Guard Jaelen House (New Mexico) and forward Zach Freemantle (Xavier) led a depleted Clippers roster — with five players inactive — scoring 33 and 31 points, respectively.
LCC stays hot to open league play: La Costa Canyon boys basketball continued its hot start to the season, opening Coastal League play with a 70-63 overtime win over Sage Creek on Jan. 13 before topping crosstown rival Carlsbad, 52-50, last Friday night. The Mavericks are now 16-5 heading into tonight’s 7:30 game at Torrey Pines.
Scoring pedigree at Santa Fe Christian: Santa Fe Christian is currently ranked 18th in the state by MaxPreps. Dax Hall is filling the stat sheet, but his coach, Johnny Dee — in his first year at SFC — knows plenty about scoring points in his own right. Dee averaged nearly 33 points per game as a senior at Rancho Buena Vista, earning 2011 Avocado League Player of the Year honors before going on to become the University of San Diego’s all-time leading scorer with 2,046 points.
