Nashua South's Josh Caruso moves on Merrimack's Brody Towle during Tuesday night's Division I game in Merrimack. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

MERRIMACK – Arguably the best boys basketball player in the history of Nashua High School South will be heading just a tad north next year.

Panther senior Josh Caruso, the school’s only 1,000 point scorer, has verbally committed to attend and play for Saint Anselm College in Manchester next year.

“I’m super pumped, I can’t wait to get out to campus and get to work,” said Caruso Tuesday night after the Panthers beat Merrimack 68-54. “I’m super excited. They showed a lot of interest in me from the start. They showed how I could really impact the program there on and off the floor. I was super excited to commit and get to work.”

Carsuso confirmed it’s not a full athletic scholarship but the opportunity is there, he said, for him to earn one. “That’s my goal,” he said, saying he hasn’t declared a major yet because he’s deciding which subject he wants to make his major and his minor.

“Perfect for him, I love it, so happy for him,” South coach Nate Mazerolle said. “So many schools were interested in him. But he’s committed, there’s a guaranteed spot, they love him.

“I couldn’t be more pleased. Plus I get to watch his games 30 minutes up the road.”

Caruso would become teammates with former Nashua North standout Trevor Labrecque, a redshirt freshman this year, and would also be somewhat following in the footsteps of former Panther great Chris Madigan. Madigan led the one Nashua High team to the 1986 state title as a senior and went on to a Hall of Fame career at Saint Anselm.

Caruso, who is making the decision official this morning, made his verbal commitment last week. He’s glad that the decision about his future has been made so he can focus on the rest of the season, a big load off his shoulders.

“A ton of load,” he said, noting that it helped him relax this past Friday when his 40 points helped South beat previously unbeaten Portsmouth.

He feels now he has unfinished business, which would be to try to help lead South to a championship.

“Unfinished business,” he said, as his teammates cheered on the stairwell behind him just outside Merrimack’s H.Dana Taylor Gym after his 26-point effort helped South pull away from the Tomahawks before Friday’s Battle of the Bridge vs.rival Nashua North. “Unfinished business exactly. … It (the game) was a great win.”

“That’s (Saint A’s) a great win too,” chimed in Mazerolle.