Neumann-Goretti’s Jordan Hall commits to St. Joe’s; is Billy Lange’s first class of 2020 recruit

Billy Lange, fresh off hiring his coaching staff for his first season at St. Joseph’s, is already on the recruiting trail in Philadelphia.

Jordan Hall, a 6-foot-7 wing player at Neumann-Goretti, has committed to playing for St. Joseph’s. It was Lange and his staff that made a huge impression on Hall.

“Coach Lange, he talked about not just basketball but life in general and building relationships and I liked that a lot,” Hall said in a phone interview. “I liked the entire staff, coach [Brenden] Straughn, coach [John] Griffin and coach [Justin] Scott.”

Lange was an assistant coach with the 76ers the previous six seasons and Hall liked the NBA touch he is bringing to the Hawks.

“He is a former Sixers assistant coach and is bringing an NBA-type attitude to the program,” Hall said. “I like that.”

Hall said that he chose St. Joseph’s over La Salle and Bowling Green.

“It was so stressful, especially letting the other schools know of my decision,” he said. “I am relieved that it is over with.”

NCAA rules prohibit a college from commenting on a recruit until a national letter of intent is signed. The early signing period is Nov. 13-19.

Neumann-Goretti coach Carl Arrigale said that colleges like Hall’s versatility.

“He can actually play positions one through four," Arrigale said, referring to point guard through power forward.

Hall is the first recruit of Lange’s 2020 class. He transferred to Neumann-Goretti from Cardinal O’Hara after the 2017 season. He also plays AAU basketball for Team Nike Final.

Lange was hired in late March, a few weeks after St. Joe’s fired Phil Martelli after 24 seasons as head coach.

Despite the late start and the decommitments from players such as Roman Catholic’s Hakim Hart and Jameer Nelson Jr., the son of Hawks great Jameer Nelson and a standout at the Haverford School, Lange was able to bring in four players for the 2019 class: Central Florida transfer Myles Douglas, Imhotep forward Chereef Knox, wing Cameron Brown from Eleanor Roosevelt (Md.); and guard Rahmir Brown from Rise Academy (Canada). Greg Foster Jr. is also transferring from Gonzaga to St. Joe’s but he won’t be eligible until 2020.

Lange said in an interview last month that he is trying to create a pipeline from city programs to St. Joe’s.

“These are Philadelphia players,” Lange said. “The individual talent is big, but the concepts of what these players represent is big for us. We want to establish a recruiting base in this city. We will not exist without Philadelphia being a part of our foundation. I want Philly kids to look at St. Joe’s as their school.”