2018 Mass. Forward Taking Notre Dame Official
Now that he’s finalized one decision, Chris Doherty is going to have to make another decision far earlier than he could have, but that’s fine with him.
The 6-foot-7 Massachusetts forward toyed with the idea of reclassifying into the Class of 2019, but decided against it, sticking with the Class of 2018.
Doherty missed much a good chunk of the AAU season heading into his junior year at Marlborough High School as he was getting treatment for his back.
“It was nothing major, but it was kind of like a step back in recruiting,” he said. “There were talks of me going 2019, but we decided I’m going to go 2018.
“I just feel like I’m ready for college.”
And colleges appear to be ready for him.
“For the past the couple of weeks, the high-major interest has been more consistent,” said Doherty, who has heard from schools like Arizona, Virginia, Rutgers, Xavier, South Carolina, Georgia Tech and others more consistently since making his decision to begin his college career next year.
He’s also heard from Notre Dame and will be in South Bend this weekend on an official visit.
“I’m excited about it,” he said.
Doherty plays for the same New England Playaz AAU program as recent Notre Dame commit Nate Laszewski, another Massachusetts forward. While scouting Laszewski closely this summer, the Irish became impressed with Doherty, especially during a tournament in Las Vegas, where the Playaz lost another big man to an injury.
“I had to step up and play the last five games the entire games,” Doherty explained.
He stepped up and caught the attention of Irish head coach Mike Brey.
Doherty is familiar with the Notre Dame program.
“Zach Auguste is from Marlborough, where I’m from,” he explained. “I’ve really followed Notre Dame the last five or six years. They’ve had good success, made some deep runs to the Elite Eight. They’ve got a good run going.
“I’ve heard how incredible the campus is. I’m looking forward to being on campus and seeing it firsthand. I’ve heard it’s incredible and the staff and everything. I’m excited to learn about the history and everything.”
Laszewski has been in his ear as well.
“We’ve been talking,” said Doherty. “He said it’s just a good vibe. He likes the coaches. He just said it’d be a great fit and it’d be nice if we could reconnect and play together once again.”
While his time frame has been accelerated, Doherty doesn’t seem to be in a rush.
“I don’t know if I’m going to take all five trips, that’s a lot,” he said. “But I definitely want to look at some other schools and just see what else there is and maybe take a couple more visits. It’s a big decision in your life, it’s not just the next four years, but moving forward and everything.”
Still, he didn’t want to rule out anything heading into this weekend in South Bend.
“We’ll see how it goes.”
Notre Dame has four commits in the Class of 2018 with Laszewski, point guard Prentiss Hubb and swingmen Robby Carmody and Dane Goodwin, but the Irish will still have a couple scholarships open for next season. They could be filled with walk-ons and/or transfers, but Doherty is a player they've had their eye on closely, even before Laszewski's decision.