CIS Hoops.ca

The Marauders gain another committment from a very good young player (with thanks to Bill Malley)

Family Day took on a special lustre for McMaster Head Coach Amos Connolly this year as his Marauder basketball family added another key member. Standout forward Nathan McCarthy from Burlington Notre Dame high school gave his commitment to Connolly over the weekend, becoming the fifth recruit to confirm he will be donning Maroon this September.


“We couldn't be happier with Nathan's commitment to join the Marauders,” says Connolly, who believes McCarthy is a great compliment to his other recruits. “He is versatile and mobile and will fit into our system very well. Having another forward that can step out and shoot provides us ample opportunity to attack mismatches and create space.”

Standing 6-foot-7, McCarthy is one of the top post players coming out of the Ontario high school ranks this year, and he is rated as a National top-100 player by Canadian recruiting service Hoopstars Canada and the Flagrant Fouls scouting website.

McCarthy says the combination of Connolly’s enthusiasm and the McMaster facilities helped him make his decision, adding, “I'm excited to put in a lot of hours and do whatever I can to help this team win a National Championship. As well, I see playing beside the best big man in the CIS in Scott Brittain and a future All-Canadian in Taylor Black will definitely help me become the best player I can be.”

Among many accolades he has received this season, McCarthy was most recently named a tournament all-star at the prestigious All-Ontario Catholic Classic, as he led Notre Dame to the tournament’s consolation title.

“Nathan will have an immediate impact,” adds Connolly. “Like all first-year players, he needs to develop physically as well as technically, but he is ready for this challenge. The future just got brighter.”

McCarthy joins previous commits and top-100 prospects, Brett Sanders (Stoney Creek), Aaron Redpath (Ajax), Joe Rocca (Sarnia) and Adam Presutti (Oakville) in a class that some have referred to as McMaster’s version of the Fab-Five.