Connor Hill played some pickup games with University of Idaho basketball players last weekend in Moscow, and that helped cement his decision to become a Vandal.

Hill, a Post Falls High senior and the state 5A Player of the Year, on Saturday gave a verbal commitment to play basketball at Idaho to Vandal head coach Don Verlin and assistant coach Tim Murphy.

He can sign his letter of intent as early as Wednesday.

"It just felt right, and there's an opportunity to play right away, with the guys at my position graduating," said Hill, a 6-foot-2 shooting guard. "It feels great just to get it (the decision) off of my mind; I've been thinking about it for a long time."

Hill averaged 21.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists this season, and was named the 5A Player of the Year by the Idaho Statesman newspaper of Boise. He led the Trojans to a fourth-place finish at state, after helping Post Falls win the state championship in 2010.

Hill is second on Post Falls' all-time scoring list with 1,192 points. He played in 69 victories for the Trojans, a school record.

Hill picked Idaho over Washington State, which had invited him to Pullman as an "invited walk-on."

"It just felt like a better offer," Hill said of Idaho. "WSU gave me an offer to walk on, with a chance to eventually earn a scholarship. Idaho guaranteed me a scholarship."

Hill said Idaho has its final two scholarships tied up in a couple of other players who may or may not wind up in Moscow. If either one doesn't, a scholarship is his this year. If both end up Vandals, Hill may have to pay his own way the first year, then would get a scholarship the next year.

Hill said he did not make any official recruiting visits, but made a few unofficial visits to the Moscow campus.

"Playing with the guys this last weekend, it's a different game than high school basketball," Hill said. "They're pretty good, but I feel pretty comfortable I can play at that level."

The fact that several members of his family have attended or are attending Idaho also played a factor in Hill's decision.

For now, he says he needs to get stronger as he prepares to play college ball.

"I think I have the talent to play with them; I just need to get in the weight room," Hill said.