As a Gophers player, Ben Johnson got to see a future first-round NBA draft pick up close, in Kris Humphries. Now as the team's third-year head coach, Johnson feels fortunate to have another true freshman, brimming with potential.
When Cam Christie scored 18 points in last Friday's 102-76 victory vs. Texas San Antonio, it marked the highest total for a true freshman in a Gophers debut since Humphries out of Hopkins in 2003.
The 6-6, 190-pound Christie, a former four-star guard from Illinois, had scholarship offers from all six major conferences. Landing him a year ago was arguably the most important recruiting win so far for Johnson's program.
"Cam had some heavy hitters late on him," Johnson said. "But we were able to do a good job early. He saw the vision. He came to campus multiple times. He saw us play live. He really had a belief."
The Gophers, who host Missouri on Thursday at Williams Arena, believed in Christie's talent helping them upgrade their new backcourt. He just needed to get healthy first.
Christie was so sick with mononucleosis in early October that he couldn't practice for a month. He only had a couple practices leading up to the regular season, so he didn't suit up until the second game last Friday vs. UTSA.
"It was definitely rough," Christie said. "But my teammates did a good job of keeping me included. I just had to stay confident in myself and stay true to my work."
Christie, the brother of Los Angeles Lakers guard Max Christie, was known as one of the nation's top shooters as a senior at Rolling Meadows High School in Arlington Heights, Ill. So it came as no surprise his jumper was the highlight of his first college game.