One-time NC State commit Josh Hall goes undrafted, signs with OKC
Durham’s Josh Hall didn’t hear his name called Wednesday night during the NBA Draft, but he is still on his way to a career in professional basketball after signing a two-way contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder, his father said.
Hall signed with N.C. State last November, but entered his name in the draft instead. His father, Quincy Hall, said ahead of the draft he heard Josh could go as high as No. 19.
“To be honest with you, OKC has been there for a minute,” Quincy Hall said in a phone interview. “He (Josh) understood the process and he knows it’s going to be a grind.”
Josh Hall (6-foot-9, 205 pounds) spent the last few months training in Charlotte with former NBA guard Jeff McInnis, who played at North Carolina and now coaches at the Combine Academy prep school. Quincy Hall said his son has gained almost 20 pounds of muscle since his high school career ended.
“It’s just a testament to the team I have built around him,” Quincy Hall said. “They did a great job preparing him for the next level.”
Josh Hall, who played last season at Moravian Prep in Hickory, announced on April 6 that he would test the draft process. On April 30, Hall posted on his Instagram account that he was staying in the draft and hiring an agent. Hall was supposed to be the centerpiece of Kevin Keatts’ 2020 recruiting class, but a 51-point game in December generated buzz about Hall going the NBA route instead.
Hall signed a letter of intent last November to headline a five-man class ranked in the top five in the ACC by 247Sports.. Hall was ranked as the No. 2 player in North Carolina and the No. 5 small forward in the country, also according to the 247Sports rankings.
“Looking back on it I wish we would have given North Carolina State nine months,” Quincy Hall said. “We’re here now and we are going to make the best of the situation.”
The two-way deal, with guaranteed money, will allow Josh Hall to bounce between the Thunder and their G-League team, the Oklahoma City Blue. With a two-way contract, Hall can spend up to 45 days in the NBA while spending the rest of his time in the G-League. NBA players on a two-way contract can earn $77,250 for time spent on the G-League roster according to gleague.nba.com.
Hall won’t be the only player with Wolfpack ties in Oklahoma City. Jalen Lecque, another former top N.C. State recruit who never arrived on campus, was traded to the Thunder earlier this week. Like Hall, Lecque entered the draft, went undrafted and signed a two-way contract. Last season, Lecque played in five games with the Phoenix Suns and 33 games for the Northern Arizona Suns.
The Thunder also signed former N.C. State center Omer Yurtseven. Yurtseven played two seasons in Raleigh before transferring to Georgetown.
This story was originally published November 20, 2020 at 11:55 AM.
