July 29, 2022: Three-star Rolling Meadows, Illinois guard Cameron Christie committed to the Gophers Friday, becoming the first player to join the University of Minnesota’s 2023 recruiting class.
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After the Gophers’ lone 2023 commitment Kadyn Betts announced that he opted to enroll early and join the Gophers this season, Ben Johnson and his staff did not mess around adding Cameron Christie to their 2023 class. Christie is the No. 1 player in Illinois according to many recruiting services, ranked as the No. 143 overall player in the country according to 247sports, he chose the Gophers over top offers from Michigan State, Ohio State and Illinois.
Paving my own path〽️ #Committed pic.twitter.com/RiP0YrFASH
— Cameron C (@24CameronC) July 29, 2022
Who is Cameron Christie?:
- Scouting Report:
**High School highlights**
Instant Reaction:
Ben Johnson was brought back to Minnesota for one reason; to recruit! Now entering his second season on the job, he has met that criteria and then some. After bringing in Jamison Battle and Parker Fox in his first transfer class, he added Braedon Carrington and Pharrel Payne in his first freshman class. Now amidst an offseason with additions of Dawson Garcia and Ta’Lon Cooper, Johnson continues to funnel talent into Dinkytown.
Cameron Christie clearly comes from a basketball family, as his brother Max made into the NBA before turning 20 years old. Cameron is much more than Max’s younger brother and has the skill set to be a terrific player in the Big Ten conference. I am starting to see a trend with Carrington, Henley and now Christie that Johnson clearly covets versatile combo guards rather than traditional PGs or SGs. This program has had a deficit of talent for too long and Christie is another step in the right direction.
What is next?:
If everyone that can return in 2023-24 decides to do so, the Gophers would only have one open scholarship. In modern college sports, we all know that is a bit optimistic to expect no departures to the transfer portal, but I would imagine that Johnson will not look towards too many more additions to his 2023 class. But top MN 2023 prospect Taison Chatman remains unsigned, the Gophers have been HEAVILY involved in his recruitment. If he decides to remain home, we could be looking at a LOADED roster in 2023-24. And Lakeville North standout Nolan Winter is also a name to watch out for.
With Kadyn Betts joining the program early, there is plenty of young talent to build around. There will continue to be many moving parts, but you can never have too much talent and Christie gives to Gophers another great prospect.
- G: Ta’Lon Cooper/Cameron Christie
- G: Braeden Carrington/Jaden Henley
- F: Jamison Battle/Isaiah Ihnen/Joshua Ola-Joseph
- PF: Parker Fox/Treyton Thompson/Kadyn Betts
- F/C: Dawson Garcia/Pharrel Payne
- *Walk-ons: Will Ramberg (F), Jackson Purcell (SG)