Two Halls are better than one.
On April 15, San Diego Section Player of the Year Dax Hall announced his commitment to the University of New Mexico on Instagram, joining older brother Jake — a Carlsbad High alum, 3,000-point scorer and 2024 San Diego Section Player of the Year — in Albuquerque.
A day later, Jake Hall — fresh off a Mountain West Freshman of the Year campaign and an NIT Final Four run — withdrew from the transfer portal and announced he would return to New Mexico.
Jake Hall had entered the transfer portal earlier in the month while Dax was on campus for an official visit.
The announcements capped a chaotic month for Lobos’ basketball, fueled by speculation that head coach Eric Olen, formerly of UC San Diego, might pursue a higher-profile job elsewhere and multiple key players entering the transfer portal.
In 2025-26, 6-foot-4 Jake Hall set a school freshman scoring record with 506 points. Meanwhile, Dax Hall, a 6-foot-1 senior at Santa Fe Christian competing in San Diego’s Open Division, led the county at 27 points per game.
“The [Player of the Year] recognition means a ton,” Dax Hall told The Coast News. “It was my goal at the start of the year, and to accomplish it is very rewarding. Beyond my own personal goals, it stamps a legacy that I wasn’t able to get through a CIF championship. It also allows me to share something super special with my brother that will last a lifetime and is something I’ll never forget.”
Torrey Pines alum and former UC San Diego standout Chris Howell was granted an NCAA waiver and an additional year of eligibility, returning for a second season with the Lobos and giving the team a triumvirate of San Diego Section Player of the Year winners — Howell having won the award in 2021.
North County standout returns home
Another Torrey Pines all-league performer — Otto Landrum, the 2021-22 North County Coastal League Player of the Year after averaging 19 points and 11 rebounds per game — announced his commitment to Point Loma Nazarene University for his final season of college basketball as a graduate transfer following four seasons at Division I Boston University.
The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 5.7 points and 4.2 rebounds over three active seasons at BU, missing his senior year after undergoing reconstructive ankle surgery in the fall.
“I saw the opportunity to come back to Boston University,” Landrum said. “But being back home is greater than anything else.”
PLNU head coach Justin Downer praised Landrum’s fit with the Sea Lions, pairing him with 6-foot-9 forward and PacWest Player of the Year Andrew Nagy.
“The frontcourt gives us two of the most talented players in the league in one lineup — something different than we’ve had in the past,” Downer said. “We’re excited to lean into that, using our size and ability in the paint to build on what we already have.”
“[Nagy is] a beast. I’m really excited,” Landrum said. “I love the two-big system.”
Solana Beach native makes NBA debut
In the Utah Jazz’s regular-season finale on April 12 against the Los Angeles Lakers, Solana Beach native and Santa Fe Christian alum Hayden Gray made his NBA debut after spending the bulk of the year with the Maine Celtics in the NBA G League, becoming the first UC San Diego player in program history to appear in an NBA game and score a point.
The Jazz signed Gray to a two-year deal just days before the game, adding him to the roster ahead of the finale. He entered midway through the second quarter and quickly scored his first NBA basket, finishing with six points, an assist, a steal and a block in 25 minutes of action.
At UC San Diego, he was the 2025 Big West Defensive Player of the Year and led the nation in steals.
“My role starts on the defensive end,” Gray told The Coast News at the NBA Summer League in 2025. “I’ve been buying into that and trying to do as much as I can when it comes to pressuring the ball, causing turnovers. The first couple days, there was an adjustment because everyone’s a little bit better. The reads you have to make are a little bit quicker. But overall, I mean, I’m happy — it’s the start of a journey.”
