Goodbye college: Former Gophers guard Cam Christie sticks with NBA draft plan

Former Gophers guard Cam Christie, an All-Big Ten freshman last season, will remain in the NBA draft and not return to college, a person familiar with his plans confirmed Wednesday.

Christie, who is projected to be an early to middle second round pick, declared for the draft in April before entering the transfer portal before it closed on May 1.

The 6-6 guard had the option of coming back to the Gophers or playing elsewhere for his sophomore year. But Christie kept his name in the NBA draft with the early entry deadline Wednesday.

The former four-star recruit out of Rolling Meadows in Arlington Heights, Ill., averaged 11.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and shot 39% from three-point range for Minnesota last season.

Starting in 26 games for the Gophers, Christie had a season-high 23 points at Illinois and was the first Gophers player to earn All-Big Ten freshman honors since 2017.

Christie’s official departure means the Gophers lost three starters and seven players from their 19-win NIT team last season, including point guard Elijah Hawkins (Texas Tech) and big man Pharrel Payne (Texas A&M). Fourth-year Gophers coach Ben Johnson still returns leading scorer Dawson Garcia and sharpshooting guard Mike Mitchell Jr.

Christie’s older brother, Max Jr., was drafted after his freshman year at Michigan State by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round in 2022.

Daniel Oturu was the last Gophers player drafted when he was selected in the second round by the Minnesota Timberwolves and traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2020.