Sports

Seton Hall lands top PG Sina

Seton Hall’s hiring of former Rutgers head coach Fred Hill as an assistant paid immediate dividends.

As in hours.

Wednesday morning, Hill was officially named an assistant coach and by the afternoon, elite New Jersey point guard Jaren Sina of Gill St. Bernard’s verbally committed to head coach Kevin Willard and plans to sign today.

The sharp-shooting Sina, who was released from his national letter of intent by Northwestern after it fired head coach Bill Carmody, had scheduled a visit to Indiana for next week but instead opted to join the Pirates.

“I decided this is where I want to go,” he told The Post. “I didn’t want to waste my time and Indiana’s time. This is what I wanted to do. I thought Seton Hall was a better fit for me. I’m excited to play for Coach Willard. I want to play for my state. That’s huge.”

Sina will form a potent one-two all-Garden State backcourt with Texas transfer Sterling Gibbs, a pair of interchangeable guards who can light it up from the perimeter and also run a team. The two talked frequently the last two weeks, and Sina said Gibbs helped sell him on the Hall.

“You got a two-headed monster, two kids who really know the game,” said Mergin Sina, Jaren’s father and high school coach. “As a coach and a former player, I know the value of having a guard who knows how to play. You find ways to win games with smart guards. I’m a believer in that.”

Sina, who averaged 21 points and nine assists per this past season, also considered Northwestern and Alabama.

Hill, an assistant under Carmody at Northwestern who also served as an assistant under Tommy Amaker at Seton Hall, was Sina’s lead recruiter when he committed to the Big Ten school. Sina credited the work done by assistant Dan McHale and said Hill didn’t exactly make his decision.

“Either way, Seton Hall would’ve been a good option,’’ he said. “Coach Hill was a huge factor.”

Landing Sina is a major coup for Willard, who lost out on top Baltimore recruit Aquille Carr after the dynamic guard opted to play professionally overseas for the coming season. The Pirates also inked junior-college wing Stephane Manga of Monroe College.

“I think it was about timing,” Mergin Sina said. “Things happen for a reason, I believe that. We’re glad to have Jaren play at home. As a family, you can’t get better than that.”