He had 12 Division I offers. Now Berkley basketball star Joe Nugent has made his choice.

He began by practicing right in his backyard, and now Berkley's Joe Nugent will be playing college basketball at the highest level.

After receiving offers from 12 schools, Nugent recently committed to play for the Division I NCAA College of the Holy Cross basketball program, where he will play under the direction of Crusaders head coach Brett Nelson, whose team finished last year in the Patriot League with a 9-22 mark.

Nugent, who played for Somerset Berkley for three years before reclassing and moving on to Tabor Academy in Marion, is about to finish his final year with the Seawolves.

"I was really honored to see college coaches believe in me when I was getting offers and hearing from college coaches," said Nugent, via text message Thursday morning. "I was excited and relieved when college coaches started reaching out, because that was my hope over these last few years."

What are his stats?

The 6-foot-6-inch Nugent was instrumental in Tabor's overall improvement this past year. He led the team in scoring (22.3) and rebounds (8.7). Nugent was named to the All-Independent School League all-star team.

"I learned that hard work — especially when no one is watching — is a huge part of being successful," he said. "As I got older, I also began to understand that I was going to have to make some sacrifices in order to get to the level I wanted."

As a sophomore, he was among the top scorers for the Raiders in the South Coast Conference in 2020-21. Nugent finished that year averaging 23.6 points per game, and was also active on the glass, grabbing nearly 10 boards per game.

He was deadly from beyond the three-point stripe with 37 three-pointers. Nugent, who was a league all-star, had 18 blocks and 21 assists in 10 games for SBR.

How he chose Holy Cross

Nugent said he considered multiple factors when deciding which college offer to accept.

"I really like the entire coaching staff at Holy Cross and feel like it is an environment I can thrive in," he said. "The campus was beautiful and has so many great opportunities for student athletes. Academically, it is a highly respected school that I am honored to be a part of."

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He said he is not sure what his major will be yet.

Keeping up the Nugent family sports tradition

The fact that Holy Cross is located only about an hour away in Worcester is an added bonus for the Nugent family.

"At first I wasn’t sure if distance would impact my decision of where I would go to school, but the more I thought of it the the more I thought how awesome it would be for my family and friends to be able to go to my games," Nugent said. "I am very blessed to have a great support system all around me."

Athletic talent runs deep in the Nugent family. His dad, Michael Nugent, played basketball at Merrimack College. He said his father had a lot to do with his earlier development.

"My dad coached me until high school," Nugent said. "He still helps me improve every day, whether that be giving me pointers or rebounding for me while I workout. My mom [Raffaella] also rebounds for me almost every day."

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Mom Raffaella (Paparo) Nugent helped lead the Apponequet softball team to a high school state championship during her senior season in 1992 and then went on to capture a college national championship while playing for Merrimack College.

Younger sister, Gabriella, is also a basketball and softball powerhouse for the Somerset Berkley Raiders.

Nugent also plays for the premier basketball program MiddlesexMagic

For now, Nugent said his goal is to finish his high school career strong and continue to improve each day.

"I will continue to work extremely hard so I am ready to play at Holy Cross next year," he said.

Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette sports editor Steven Sanchez can be reached at ssanchez@heraldnews.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @Chezsports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Ex-Somerset Berkley basketball star commits to Division I Holy Cross