Eric Atkins had no shortage of options for college.

Notre Dame, Virginia, Vanderbilt, UMass and Virginia Tech all earned spots on the Mount St. Joseph point guard’s list. When decision time came for Atkins, the 6-foot-2, 165-pound junior looked for guidance in an uncommon place.

“[Recruiting] was on my mind everyday,” Atkins said. “In my mind I would jump from school to school sometimes. At the end of the day, I really felt like Notre Dame was the best choice for me. This is where my father would want me to be.”

William Atkins passed away in the summer of 2007 after a long bout with cancer. Eric Atkins, who committed to the Irish on Monday, said Notre Dame encompassed everything his father would have wanted in a school.

“First of all, he always loved Big East basketball,” Atkins said. “But he always wanted me to go to a very good academic school first. With my list of top schools, U.Va. is a great academic institution. Vanderbilt is almost close to Ivy League. But Notre Dame and the tradition behind it, I know my dad would be all over that. So when I thought about that, it made [the decision] easy.”

Atkins and his mother, Dominique, visited South Bend this past weekend. Atkins spent much of the visit chatting with the player he could replace in Notre Dame’s starting lineup as a freshman -- point guard Tory Jackson.

“I spoke with him a lot, asking him why he chose Notre Dame, how was Coach [Mike] Brey as a coach. I asked him all the questions that I would need to know,” Atkins said. “He just told me that this was an opportunity of a lifetime. Going to Notre Dame and the education you receive, it’s just in another league. I spoke with [Jackson] and Tyrone Nash. Those were the two players I spoke with the most. They both loved it there and they’re both from out of town. I wanted to know how it felt for a kid not close to Notre Dame, making the transition to a school that’s far away from them.”

Atkins, the Baltimore Catholic League Player of the Year, averaged 22 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals per game as a junior. The Mount St. Joseph offense ran through him. Atkins said he expects to have a similar role in South Bend.

“They pretty much told me I could step right in for Tory in my freshman year,” Atkins said. “I’d have the ball in my hands my freshman year. That played a big role in my decision. ... [Tory] was just telling me how Coach Brey loves his point guards. He has a special bond with his point guards, and I wanted to be a part of that.”

Atkins said his mother couldn’t have been happier with his choice. As the two drove away from South Bend on Sunday night, both were thinking the same thing.

“The tradition is one of a kind,” Atkins said. “It’s not just a known school around America. It’s known everywhere. So it’s a great opportunity for me. I’m really proud I made this decision.”

• Click here for D.C. Assault coach Zach Suber’s take on Atkins’ decision.

Baltimore Sun photo of Eric Atkins by Monica Lopossay / Feb. 27, 2009