ST. PAULS — Feeling at home on whichever college campus she ended up at next year was the driving factor in T.J. Eichelberger’s college decision. As it happened, a school close to home was where she felt most comfortable.

The St. Pauls senior guard announced Friday she is committing to play collegiately at Fayetteville State University.

“I sat down, had a talk with my family, and they were like, ‘just base this decision off of you, because nobody’s going to be at Fayetteville State for you, you are, so just make sure that whatever school you pick, you like it,’” Eichelberger said. “I went, I loved it, there was just a whole bunch of bonuses.”

Eichelberger led St. Pauls to a 26-1 record and a third-round state playoff run in her junior season, averaging 12.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.7 steals per game. Some of the numbers were down from the previous year — she was Robeson County Player of the Year as a sophomore with 20.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game — because of the better team around her, and her assists nearly doubled.

In choosing to play for the Broncos, who play in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association in NCAA Division II, Eichelberger turned down five Division-I offers.

“I’m very excited for her, and to turn down Division-I scholarship offers, that lets you know what kind of a kid she is,” St. Pauls coach Mike Moses said. “She was stern about what she wanted; she wanted to be close to home, she wanted to be in a program that was established and winning, she wanted a coaching staff where she had a good relationship. And she wanted to go to an HBCU, so she got everything she needed, and I’m proud of her.”

One factor in the decision, Eichelberger said, was the relationship she’s built with the coaching staff, led by head coach Serena King-Coleman.

“They started building it up in the summer, calling all the time, over-an-hour conversations, not even always about basketball,” Eichelberger said. “During the summer, in the tournaments I was playing in AAU, they would give good advice. I felt like she really cared about me, and was not just trying to convince me to come to the school to play.”

Now, when Eichelberger’s senior season in St. Pauls begins in January, the recruiting process is something she will no longer have to worry about.

“I have no worries,” she said. “I’m committed.”