Notre Dame picked up its first commitment for the hoops class of 2010 in the person of 6’1″ point guard Eric Atkins. This fulfills a critical need in the upcoming class — someone to take the reins from Ben Hansbrough when the junior-to-be graduates in 2011.

The Columbia, MD, product chose the Irish after two unofficial visits to campus, one during the season and one the last weekend in April. In an interview with Scout’s Evan Daniels, he cited the campus, the educational opportunities, and his relationship with Mike Brey as driving forces behind his commitment.

An evaluation by the ESPN folks can be found here, with his Scout.com profile here.