Doherty Goes In-Depth On Decision

There were some cell phone issues when Chris Doherty called the Notre Dame men’s basketball coaches to let them know he’d made his decision last Friday, but the 2018 Massachusetts forward was able to get to the most important part before cutting out.

The 6-foot-8 Doherty announced his decision publicly on Monday, but he let the Irish staff know a couple days earlier.

After texting the coaches on Thursday night that he wanted to call, he connected with them on Friday as they were on their way to DePaul for the regular season opener the next day.

“I told them I thought about it and it was the best decision,” Doherty explained. “Actually, they had a bad signal, so they cut out. I didn’t really get a chance to talk to them about the whole decision, but they knew Friday and then we talked again on Sunday.

“They said they were excited to coach me and love what I have to bring to the table. They’re looking forward to developing my game. I’m excited to be a part of everything and getting out there to work with them.”

The Marlborough, Mass., native said he was “intrigued” by Notre Dame from the start, but it was his official visit a couple weeks ago that confirmed it for him.

“Just thinking about my visit, I really just didn’t feel like I needed to visit any other schools,” said Doherty. “I was good with where I was. I just knew it was the place for me, so I’m excited about officially committing and everything.”

Doherty just decided he was going to remain in the Class of 2018 and not reclassify to 2019 last month. When he made that decision, interest picked up quickly from major schools and initially, he planned to take multiple official visits before making a commitment. That changed when he made the trip to South Bend.

“When I visited with the coaching staff, they’re really laid-back guys,” he explained. “They seemed like a players-first staff, which is really important to me. The guys on the team were really cool to be around. I got to hang out with them that night and they were just cool dudes. I definitely enjoyed it and knew it was the right spot for me.”

He’ll be reunited with his New England Playaz AAU teammate Nate Laszewski, who signed with the Irish last Wednesday.

“That’s huge,” he said. “I texted Nate and he just said, ‘Congrats.’ He’s excited and I’m excited. I said, ‘Let’s go go out there and try to win some games.’ That’s the main goal at the end of the day.”

Doherty also credited Playaz program director T.J. Gassnola with never giving up on him early in his career and later, when he was sidelined with an injury.

“Going into my freshman year, when I found out who he was, I knew I wanted to be a part of his organization,” Doherty said of Gassnola. “Some people threw me in the dust, but he was always there. He’s definitely been there for everything.”

Doherty officially signed his National Letter of Intent on Monday.

“It’s like a big burden has been lifted off my shoulders,” the Marlborough High School standout said. “I can just focus on my high school season coming up and winning a state championship.”

And then it’s off to South Bend, where Doherty is ready to embrace his role.

“Definitely rebounding and athleticism, doing the dirty work, getting rebounds and boxing out. Just doing the little things and hopefully as time progresses, I can develop more offensively and help them in that part of the game too.

“But for right now, just definitely doing the dirty work.”