When Cam Christie walks across the stage and shakes hands with the NBA commissioner after being selected in this week's draft, it will be a big moment for the Gophers men's basketball program.
The Gophers guard could become the team's first player to be drafted after his freshman season and the first player to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft since former Hopkins star Kris Humphries in 2004.
The 6-foot-6 Illinois native is expected to be selected late in the first round or early in the second round in the 2024 NBA Draft, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday in New York. Christie and his family plan to attend both rounds.
“We're hopeful that Cam will go in the first round,” said Gophers coach Ben Johnson, who was Humphries' U teammate in 2003 and 2004. “When you come to Minnesota, the expectation is that you're going to be an NBA player.”
Humphries, a former McDonald's All-America, was the last U player drafted in the first round, selected 14th overall by the Utah Jazz in 2004. Former Cretin-Derham Hall star Daniel Oturu ended the Gophers' long draft drought in 2020 when the Timberwolves selected him with the 33rd pick (third pick of the second round) and traded him to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Christie, a former four-star recruit, was ranked just outside the top 100 by several recruiting services when the Gophers signed him for the Class of 2023. He finished second on the team in scoring (11.3) and made 42% of his 3-pointers while earning All-Big Ten Freshman honors for the first time since 2017.
“I think it just shows we saw talent early on,” Johnson said, “and we were able to develop that talent. He got an opportunity here and he was able to take it.”
There are no Big Ten Conference rookies remaining in this year's NBA Draft, and Christie is considered one of the conference's top prospects along with Indiana's Kel'el Ware, Purdue's Zach Eddy and Illinois' Terrence Shannon Jr.
Johnson said Christie being drafted after one year in the program means he has “a lot to sell” on future recruiting efforts. Amari Allen, a four-star guard out of IMG Academy (Fla.) for 2025, who took an unofficial visit with the school last Monday, was told by Johnson's staff that he could be the next talent to quickly progress to a pro player.
“[Christie’s] “It really set the standard for not only what we want in recruiting, but what we want in development,” Johnson said.
Christie battled an illness during the preseason and missed the Gophers' season opener against Bethune-Cookman, but in the opener against Texas-Arlington he made 4 of 6 3-pointers for 18 points, the highest-scoring true freshman debut for the Gophers since Humphries in 2003-04.
Christie got stronger and improved defensively, but came off the bench for the first seven games, but by late January he had scored in double figures in nine of 10 games, including a career-high 23 points on 6-of-9 3-pointers against Illinois.
Although the Gophers did not play in the NCAA Tournament, they did reach the second round of the NIT and won 19 games. Christie gave his freshman season an “A” grade.
“I think this was a successful year,” Christie told the Big Ten Network at the NBA Combine. “I thought I performed well. I thought the team performed well. We exceeded expectations by a lot.”
Christie's strong late-season run has him seriously considering following in his older brother Max's footsteps by leaving Michigan State University a year later to join the NBA, with the expectation he will be drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2022.
Christie is 18 years old and arguably has more potential than some of the older, more established college players, making him an intriguing talent in this week's draft.
“I told him honestly, 'If I had the opportunity, I'm not the kind of coach that would get in my players' way,'” Johnson said. [plays] He's a freshman and he's improving, so it's not a surprise that people are looking at him, especially in this draft.”
