reg Paulus picked up his first commitment as Niagara basketball coach on Sunday.

It's safe to say he made an impression.

Tah'Jae Hill, a star senior at Rochester's Hilton High School, announced his verbal commitment just ahead of the Purple Eagles' loss to Manhattan. According to his head coach, Paulus and his staff targeted Hill, then went and got him.

"I got a call from Brett Ervin, and he said, 'I want to come look at him. What's your schedule?' So we did that," explained Hilton coach Troy Prince. "Then he said to Bryan Smothers, 'Hey, you're going to want to get out and watch him.' He came out and said the same thing to Coach Paulus.

"Coach saw him get up and down the floor about eight times ... and he said right there he had to have him."

Less than a month later, he did. After watching Hill play in December, Paulus invited him to visit Saturday, in between the Purple Eagles' first two home games in January.

Hill entered unsure of Niagara, according to Prince. After receiving offers from St. Bonaventure and Siena last year, he was hoping a bigger school might come calling.

Instead, Paulus and his staff — assistants Ervin and Smothers, director of basketball operations Madison Hahesy and even strength and conditioning coach Alex Brunson — so impressed Hill that he committed less than a full day after leaving Monteagle Ridge.

"In Tahj's words, they blew him away," Prince said.

Prince said Paulus used NBA star D'Angelo Russell, who Paulus coached at Ohio State, as an example of how he might work with Hill.

"(Paulus) is an attractive coach to play for," Prince said. "And it's not just him. We were impressed with Ervin, Smothers, Hahesy. Everyone was on point. (Brunson), they did a photo shoot, he was hooting and hollering pumping (Hill) up. I would go through a wall for that guy."

Hill, who did not respond for interview requests, is a 6-foot-2 guard who is averaging over 30 points per game so far this season for Hilton. He dropped a career-high 48 points just last week.

His speed and athleticism is his biggest asset. He was offered three football scholarships, and Prince said he believes Hill's "ceiling is unlimited" if he were to play wide receiver.

But Hill's true love is basketball. He picked up a scholarship offer from UB, then under Nate Oats, in 2017. Niagara actually offered him back then as well under Chris Casey. St. Bonaventure got in last December, and Siena offered in April. More recently, Cleveland State and Bryant came calling with scholarships.

Prince isn't shy about touting his potential on the court.

"He scored 48 last week, and I think he's got bigger games in him," Prince said. "He can go for 50 without trying to go get 50, just playing the game."

Hill's commitment was also a big moment for former Niagara players Demond Stewart and James Reaves, Rochester natives who helped land Hill on the Purple Eagles' radar.

Stewart, who took over for Reaves as head coach of basketball power University Prep, had a few chats with Hill about what Niagara could offer, and was excited to help someone from his hometown land with his alma mater.

"No. 1, he's a class act outside the game," Stewart said. "That's the biggest thing. I've never heard anything negative about Tahj. On the basketball side, he does everything. He's a winner.

"Tahj can shoot, Tahj can flash. (And), as happens to all kids, he's going to get a little older, get stronger. He's gonna get better."