Harold Doby has measured in his mind how long it takes to get from Augusta to Georgia State University in downtown Atlanta.

"It's about one hour, 45 minutes," he said.

The former Laney basketball standout has the distance memorized, because he has spent the past 18 months playing basketball nine hours away from home. He recently committed to play for Georgia State, because of the school's proximity to his mother and rest of his family here.

"And I have a chance to start as a freshman and get a lot of playing time," said Doby, a 6-foot-6 wing.

Doby averaged more than 20 points per game and was a first-team all-area selection in 2008, before transferring to Oldsmar Christian in Florida to improve his grades. He said he has since become academically eligible. He will enroll at Georgia State in the summer.

Doby said he had also received scholarship offers from UNC Wilmington, Murray State, Northeastern and Virginia Commonwealth. He plans to hold a signing party back home in November, when he can sign a letter of intent to make his commitment binding.

"Playing in a different environment got me focused on my grades," Doby said. "If I would have stayed at Laney, I would have had to go to a junior college."