New goal for Gamecock alum Bree Hall: Grow her game in Athletes Unlimited league
Bree Hall’s rookie year in the WNBA was a roller coaster at best.
The former Gamecock was drafted in the second round of the 2025 WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever just eight days after her college career ended with a loss in the national championship game.
Hall went through most of training camp with the Fever but was ultimately cut just 12 days before her rookie season was set to start.
Hall struggled to stay on a roster for the rest of her rookie year. She wound up being signed and cut by the Golden State Valkyries twice in the span of a few months. Hall signed a contract on June 18 and was waived on June 30. She signed a 7-day contract with the team again on Aug. 27 and was released again on Sept. 1.
Hall played 12 minutes across three games for the Valkyries in the 2025 season. She scored three points and brought in two rebounds total in those appearances.
“It was definitely tough,” Hall told The State . “It definitely became my motivation in the offseason. Being waived and cut, you don’t really get a flow of things. Of course, you go in, you’re grateful for the opportunity. You go in, you learn. Each time I kind of ask them ‘What can I do better? What do you want to see improve in my game.’”
Hall’s rookie season wasn’t all doom and gloom though. The guard signed a contract to reunite with the Indiana Fever, and her former college teammate Aliyah Boston, for the remainder of the 2025 season on Sept. 4.
“She’s an incredible basketball player, incredible leader, and, of course, friend…it was great to be able to share the court with her again (and) learn from her,” Hall said of Boston.
That meant Hall would remain with the team for its final three regular season games and however long Indiana lasted in the 2025 playoffs. As luck would have it, the Fever went on a slight playoff run. Hall was with the Fever for eight playoff games between a series with the Atlanta Dream in the first round and the semifinals against the Las Vegas Aces.
Of those eight postseason games, Hall played in four. She averaged just two minutes and 1.5 points per game but said the postseason experience while with the Fever was “really, really valuable.”
“Playing with such elite vets, being able to learn from somebody like Sydney Colson…hearing what she had to say in the locker room was really important,” Hall said. “Just seeing the routine, the focus of the team, and what we were trying to accomplish every day on the court, even in the practice, in the lifts, walk through. It was really good, just to see how those things are supposed to go. The vets did a really good job leading by example.”
Help from Youtube videos in New Zealand
After Indiana was eliminated from the playoffs by the eventual WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces (led by Gamecock great A’ja Wilson), Hall had the usual exit meetings with Indiana brass.
That meeting lit a flame in Hall to get better in the offseason.
“I talked to the coaches and the GM…they told me the things that they wanted me to improve on and so I took that and ran with it,” Hall said. “I was everyday disciplined, focused, intentional in my workouts, trying to improve on what they asked me to improve on.”
Hall signed a contract to play professionally overseas with Mainland Pouākai in New Zealand. There she said she worked on her 3-point shooting, perimeter defense, posting up on smaller guards and putting the ball on the floor.
“I got a lot of things out of that experience,” Hall said. “You kind of mature, you grow as a person, first of all, when you go overseas. That’s my first time being out of the country by myself…it’s not really the same as in the States, as it is overseas. You’re really independent, on your own.”
The stint in New Zealand helped Hall develop a routine for individual training and workouts. Those became a daily thing for Hall, who said she was even going to the internet for inspiration on workouts and drills to get better.
“There wasn’t a trainer, so I had to look on YouTube, look at Tiktok, and figure out drills that I can do every single day to improve on the things that I was asked to improve on by the Indiana [coaches] and the GM,” Hall said. “It was a really great experience. I got to build (and) improve my skills. I had some things that I needed to work on, that I just felt like I was given the floor to work on and mess up and make those mistakes in New Zealand, and kind of just kind of get better in that way.”
On to Athletes Unlimited
Hall’s time in New Zealand concluded in December after she averaged 11.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Now she’s playing in the Athletes Unlimited league.
AU is a 5-on-5 professional league with four teams (whose rosters change week to week) that all play in Nashville, Tennessee.
Hall scored 17 points in her AU debut on Feb. 4. She followed that performance with a 25-point game a few days later.
“I think for me going into the game, it was just important for me to just kind of showcase what I’ve been working on in the offseason,” Hall said. “Play free, be me and play to my strengths.”
Hall is one of three former Gamecocks playing in Athletes Unlimited. Te-Hina Paopo, Zia Cooke and Alaina Coates are the others. Hall played against Paopao in her debut but now shares a team with her.
“It’s always great playing against Te-Hina,” Hall said. “A little trash talking. Of course, we’re not necessarily in the exact same position but [when] she’s coming up the court I’m saying stuff to her. She might hit a three. I hit a three. We’re saying stuff to each other. So it’s good. It’s good to have that friendly competition and show love to each other after the game.”
Through six games with AU, Hall is averaging 12.2 points and 3.5 rebounds in 21.2 minutes per game. The AU season concludes in March.
“AU gives you the opportunity to just play free, not as many sets as you would with maybe a different team or in the WNBA, or anything like that,” Hall said. “So you’re given the opportunity to try new things, try things that you’ve been working on during the off season. I’m just looking forward to it.”
This story was originally published February 18, 2026 at 7:00 AM with the headline "New goal for Gamecock alum Bree Hall: Grow her game in Athletes Unlimited league."
