Niagara men's basketball head coach Greg Paulus has been named to The Athletic's 40 Under 40: Rising Starts in Men's College Basketball list, released on Tuesday.

Paulus, 35, is in his third season at the helm of the Niagara University men's basketball program. In Paulus' tenure, Niagara has become one of the most competitive teams in the MAAC and he has helped bring national attention to the NU program.

The Purple Eagles opened the season 2021-22 season at Xavier, falling to the Big East's Musketeers by just three points, 63-60. Niagara took on nationally-ranked Ohio State on Nov. 12 and were defeated by the No. 17 Buckeyes by only 10 points, 84-74. Niagara picked up wins against SIUE and Youngstown State as part of the YSU/J. Arnold Wealth Management Company Basketball Tournament and the team is 2-3 on the season so far. Niagara currently ranks second in the MAAC in free throw percentage (87.3%) and in blocked shots (3.5 per game).

During the 2020-21 season, which was shortened due to Covid-19, the Purple Eagles led the MAAC in turnover margin (+3.25), assist to turnover ratio (1.19) and averaged the fewest turnovers per game (9.9). Niagara ranked sixth in the nation in fewest turnovers per game and 22nd in turnover margin. The team earned the No. 5 seed for the MAAC Tournament, which also earned them a first-round bye, and advanced to the semifinals for the first time since 2013 after defeating No. 4 Marist in the quarterfinals. Guards Marcus Hammond and Kobi Nwandu were both All-MAAC Second Team selections.

The Purple Eagles had a strong season in the classroom and recorded a program-record 3.45 grade point average (GPA) in the fall 2020 semester. The program was recognized for its outstanding academic year with the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Team Academic Excellence Award for the second straight season. The award honors programs that had a GPA of 3.0 or higher for the season. Niagara placed four Purple Eagles to the MAAC All-Academic Team and nine to the MAAC Academic Honor Roll for the 2020-21 season. Nicholas Kratholm, who was a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, was also named to the 2020-21 CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team.

In Paulus' first season (2019-20), the Purple Eagles surpassed preseason predictions with Paulus having the Purple Eagles contending near the top of the conference all season and winning ten games against conference opponents for just the second time in the last seven seasons. Niagara won a game in the MAAC Tournament for the first time in three seasons after beating Marist in the first round.

The Purple Eagles ranked statistically in the top-25 in the nation in fewest turnovers per game (10.6), in fewest total turnovers (338), in turnover margin (3.3), and 3-point field goal percentage (.372), while leading the MAAC in all four categories. Niagara had the best assist-to-turnover ratio (1.13) in the MAAC as well. Under Paulus' tutelage, sophomore Marcus Hammond had a career-season en route to being named to the All-MAAC First Team.

Paulus' accomplishments during his maiden voyage as a head coach were recognized by the college basketball industry as he was the recipient of the 2019-20 Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year Award which is presented annually to the top first-year coach in NCAA Division I college basketball.

It was a record-setting 2019-20 academic campaign for the Purple Eagles which started with the team earning a 3.4 GPA in the summer of 2019. The Purple Eagles followed with a then-record 3.18 GPA in the fall semester. The spring semester welcomed another record-setting GPA as the Purple Eagles posted a 3.42 GPA with 11 student-athletes earning a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Eight Purple Eagles earned 2019-20 MAAC Academic Honor Roll accolades for having a cumulative grade-point average of 3.2 or higher.  Justin Roberts and Steven Levnaic garnered MAAC All-Academic Team honors at the end of the season.

The program was recognized for its accomplishments in the classroom with the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award after the Purple Eagles finished with the season with a 3.3 team GPA.

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