Henry Garrity’s first love is basketball, which makes sense.
His father, Pat Garrity, played in the NBA for 10 years, nine of them with the Orlando Magic, and is an assistant general manager for the Detroit Pistons.
But Henry Garrity’s future is on the football pitch as a top signing for Birmingham Brother Rice.
“Basketball is my first love as a sport, but in college I will be playing football,” Garrity said. “It’s a tough decision. I have more opportunities in football.
“My father was a big help in everything. When my main sport was basketball, he always helped me. Even when I switched to football, he felt it coming a little. He was a great help in recruiting, giving me a good perspective.He is also very into bodybuilding, so he helped me a lot in bodybuilding.
Part of the focus on football relies on measurables. While his dad was a 6-foot-9 first-round pick from Notre Dame, Henry Garrity is 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds.
“I’ve always loved basketball, always been involved all year through this summer,” Garrity said. “I would switch from football in the fall, basketball in the winter, AAU in the spring. I never really had a summer until this summer where I could gain weight. At the end of basketball, I was at 200 pounds, but I can go up to 220.”
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Height: 6-4
lester: 220
Position: Tight end
Year: 2023
Offers: Favorite walk-on in Notre Dame, Michigan; Air Force, Brown, Columbia, Central Michigan, Connecticut, Dartmouth,
2021 Highlights: Garrity played tight end for Brother Rice, catching 16 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns for the Warriors 8-4.
As a junior, Garrity caught 16 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns.
“He has great hand-eye coordination,” Brother Rice’s trainer Adam Korzeniewski said. “He’s a good basketball player and his dad played in the NBA. He has great coordination and understands spatial awareness. He knows how to create space and he’s a great blocker. He has a GPA of 4 .1, so he is extremely intelligent.
“He’s not a blazer, but he knows how to open up and get extra yards after the reception.”
Garrity ran a 4.94-second sprint for 40 yards, but he thinks he can cut that time.
“Brother Rice has been good to me, putting me in a lot of different positions,” Garrity said. “Being versatile has helped me a lot, whether it’s blocking out of the backfield, being tied down to the line and blocking or playing out of the line.
“I expect to increase my speed, but my No. 1 asset is probably my ball skills. I am able to catch with my hands, follow the ball and go down with it. I am able to move quite well in tight spaces. As a kid, I was always a receiver or a ball carrier. The skills stayed with me.
Garrity received offers as a favorite extra at Notre Dame, where his father played, and at Michigan. He also has offers from Ivy League schools, including Columbia and Dartmouth.
“I’m narrowing the list down, maybe a few military academies as well,” Garrity said. “I would like to make a decision ideally before the season. I want to put him out before I start playing so I can focus on having a good senior year and getting a state championship.
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