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6-10 Forward Verbally Committed To Ducks On Friday
The NJCAA Division I Player of the Year finally found a home.
Chris Boucher, the 6-10 forward-center combo from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, who as a sophomore last season averaged 22.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.7 blocks for the Northwest College men’s basketball team, verbally committed to the University of Oregon during a brief campus visit on Friday.
Boucher, a four-star recruit who will have two years of eligibility, was the target of dozens of Division I programs throughout the duration of the season. He recently narrowed his school choices to Texas Christian, Texas Tech and Oregon before visiting Oregon coach Dana Altman and the Ducks in Eugene, Oregon. Despite the short visit, Boucher said his decision was an easy one.
“It’s kind of hard to explain, but I really like the city even though it’s not as big as Fort Worth, Texas (Texas Christian University). I really like the place,” Boucher said. “The guys were really good too, I had fun playing with them and they’re really trying to win.”
Reports were released on the Internet earlier this month that Boucher had committed to TCU, but he dismissed those claims Monday.
Boucher helped NWC to a 31-5 record, the Region IX Championship and an appearance in the quarterfinal round of the NJCAA Division I Men’s National Basketball Championship in March. He didn’t start playing basketball until high school, making his meteoric rise even more impressive, NWC head coach Brian Erickson said.
“He’s still got so much to work on that he’s going to make huge jumps over the next two years,” Erickson said. “I think that competition — just going somewhere with the resources to help him get so much better, to work with him every day and help him improve his game — in one year we’re going to see him get better, but in two, he’s going to be even more impressive.”
He will join a Ducks team that has made three straight NCAA Tournament appearances and is coming off a 26-10 campaign in 2014-15 that ended with a loss to Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. But the Ducks’ winning ways played no part in Boucher’s decision.
“Nothing honestly,” he said. “I’m planning on doing my best regardless of the history of the school. The only thing I know is that we have a good team now.”
Boucher said Altman gave him no indication of what his role will be, or if he will see immediate minutes, but Boucher said he wasn’t too concerned with that as of right now.
Boucher thrived in NWC coach Brian Erickson’s fast-paced offense last season, and Boucher said that style of play is what drew him to Oregon.
Oregon, who plays in the Pacific 12 Conference with perennial power University of Arizona, will also give Boucher a chance at national television exposure, a factor the big man said he’s looking forward to.
“I’m just happy for my family to finally be able to see me on TV, and see what I’m doing in life now,” he said.
Boucher also said he was grateful for his time at Northwest College, where he was given the chance to max out his talents, he said.
“I think Northwest gave me the leadership I needed and helped me to accept my mistakes,” Boucher said. “And they taught me how important my teammates are.”
Boucher is home in Montreal with family right now, and is expected to sign his national letter of intent in the coming weeks.
“I’m really happy to write another chapter,” he said. “I know that a lot of work is coming up.”