Gophers sign Dennis Evans and Cameron Christie, locking up best recruiting class in over a decade

Ben Johnson can see momentum building for his Gophers program after officially signing five-star center Dennis Evans and four-star guard Cameron Christie on Wednesday.

The buzz is real for potentially the highest rated Gophers men's basketball recruiting class over a decade, ranked 20th by Rivals and 25th by 247Sports at the start of the early national signing period.

Evans, a 7-1 defensive force from California, is arguably the top shot blocker in high school. Christie, a 6-6 combo guard, is rated by some analysts as the No. 1 senior in Illinois.

"It's great that these guys are ranked where they're ranked," Johnson said. "I'm excited because I know their talent leads to production. And who they are leads to production."

In order to sign such a potential program-changing class, the Gophers had to utilize the relationships built by their assistants. They needed Evans and Christie to believe that the Big Ten's last-place team would soon be on the rise with their help.

"We're trying to get top 100 players who are at that talent level," Johnson said. "You've got to find people who believe in what you're selling and can also see the vision. We only had one year of proof."

Evans is ranked 13th by Rivals, 27th by 247Sports and 28th by Prep Hoops, which makes him the highest-rated prospect to sign with the Gophers since Hopkins' Kris Humphries in 2003.

If you're talking about the biggest recruit out of state to join the program, the Gophers haven't brought in a top national name like Evans since Detroit's Voshon Lenard in 1991.

Evans played on Team USA's U17 World Cup team that won a gold medal this summer. He averaged 11 points, 10 rebounds, and seven blocks per game at Hillcrest last season, including 10 or more blocks in five games.

Gophers assistant Marcus Jenkins had a relationship with Kool-Aid Perry and his Team Inland AAU program that also produced current U freshman Jaden Henley.

"Size, length, shoulders, hands, he checks every single box," Johnson said. "He's a guy who is built and moves like guys at the [NBA] level that make a lot of money. To be able to get that athleticism, that length, that size is something we wanted to really pinpoint in this class."

Christie, the brother of ex-Michigan State standout and Los Angeles Lakers rookie Max Christie, also has all the potential to make a big splash as a freshman. He averaged 22 points and shot 42% from three-point range for Rolling Meadows last season.

"Cam's a competitive dude," Johnson said about the 84th ranked player in the 2023 class by 247Sports. "He's got that little brother syndrome, which I love. It's that gritty, fighter, chip on your shoulder that I'm going to prove I'm just as good if not better."

Johnson also added a local walk-on to this year's Gophers class with New Life Academy forward Erick Reader, who led his team to the state Class 1A tournament last season.

The last time the Gophers inked a top-25 class after the early signing period was under Tubby Smith in 2008 and 2009. Johnson as an assistant under Richard Pitino signed high profile classes with local players in 2016 and 2018. But it's rare for the Gophers to bring in a top class with only out-of-state talent.

In Johnson's first year, the Gophers signed an all-Minnesota class last November with Mr. Basketball Braeden Carrington, Pharrel Payne, and Joshua Ola-Joseph. Two signed in the late period with Henley and reclassified Colorado native Kadyn Betts, who will redshirt the 2022-23 season, Johnson said Wednesday.