Gophers guard Cam Christie contending for Big Ten freshman of the year

Andy Greder, Pioneer Press
Updated ·4 min read
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Crushes are forming on Cam Christie.

Just after Valentines Day, the Gophers true freshman guard received love from Big Ten Network color commentator Robbie Hummel and Purdue head coach Matt Painter after the Boilermakers’ 84-76 win over the U on Thursday.

“He’s a great player,” Painter told BTN postgame. “… He comes off those ball screens looking to fire.”

Christie was hot in the first half, hitting a trio of 3-pointers and scoring 11 points as the U took a 43-35 lead on the nation’s second-ranked team.

Hummel, who played two seasons for the Timberwolves from 2013-15, gushed over the length and lift within Christie’s jump shot. After he rose up high over the Boilermakers defender to sink a long-range two-point shot in the first half, Hummel said:

“That’s three letters: NBA. That’s what that is right there. Cam Christie has a ton of ability, and he has just feasted on Purdue’s drop coverage (on ball screens).”

Christie didn’t have the same success in the second half as Painter’s players disrupted more of his shot attempts. Christie went 1 for 5 from the field for two points in all 20 minutes after the break.

Christie’s overall performance Thursday continued a hot streak. The Arlington Hills, Ill., native is averaging 11.3 points per game, including 45 percent shooting from the field and 42 percent from 3-point range this season. Those numbers have swelled over the past five games, when he is averaging 15.8 points, 51 percent from the field and 46 percent from deep.

“You can feel the transition from a freshman to a sophomore,” Gophers coach Ben Johnson said Friday. “He’s got enough games under his belt now where he does feel like he’s not a freshman anymore and with that is confidence. I think he’s in a rhythm, for sure. … You know you’rv arrived, you belong. And I think he’s ready to take that next step.”

With the upswing, Christie has put himself in the mix for Big Ten freshman of the year. He won the conference’s weekly award on Feb. 5, becoming the U’s first recipient since St. Paul center Daniel Oturu in February 2019.

But right now, Christie appears more of a dark horse for the award, with freshmen from two rivals being more decorated. Iowa center Owen Freeman has won Big Ten freshman of the week eight times, while Wisconsin guard John Blackwell has been named on three occasions.

“I think it’s going to be a tight race,” Johnson said. “I’m just glad that we’ve got somebody that I definitely think is going to be up for consideration. I think his ceiling is through the roof. I think this is going to be a good year that he’s going to be able to build on.”

The Gophers haven’t had a Big Ten freshman of the year in 20 seasons, since Kris Humphries won it in 2004 and Rick Rickert just before that in 2002.

Teammate Parker Fox, in his sixth year of college basketball, marvels at what Christie can do at the tender age of 18.

“You see him coming off a ball screen and one dribble pull-up and hit it,” Fox said. “It’s like, ‘Wow, that’s tough.’ But I see him do that every day. It’s no surprise that he’s making that shot because it’s something that he reps, he drills and obviously with his brother (Max Christie) in the (NBA with the L.A. Lakers), they got trainers and that kind of stuff.”

Teammate Braeden Carrington said Christie has also benefited from veteran guards around him, including himself, upperclassmen transfers Elijah Hawkins and Mike Mitchell Jr.

“You have a lot more voices to help him,” Carrington said. “It helps that we are all confident and see what he can do. We know when he makes shots, we can win games. And we want him to do that.”

Johnson has not been surprised by the start of Christie’s college career, even putting the ball in the freshman’s hand in clutch moments during the Missouri game, the season’s third game back on Nov. 16. Those early moments didn’t pan out, though.

“People probably thought I was crazy in the Missouri game, and now you guys understand why I did it,” Johnson. “I’ve seen it. I’ve seen it in the summer and I’ve seen in in the fall. That’s who he is.”

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