'That's who he is': Cam Christie gives Gophers a dose of confidence

Freshman quickly developing into standout player for Minnesota.

It felt like a curious choice at the time.

Gophers men’s basketball coach Ben Johnson subbed freshman Cam Christie in for starting point guard Elijah Hawkins with 3 minutes, 15 seconds remaining in their Nov. 16 game against Missouri after seeing their 20-point lead shrink down to two points.

Johnson left him out there for crunch time, and Christie took an errant 3-pointer with 21 seconds remaining. He missed another from deep at the buzzer, a potential game-winner. Instead, the result was a demoralizing 70-68 loss at Williams Arena.

Fast forward to Tuesday, and Christie’s late-game performance against Michigan State was a stark contrast. And so was the result of the game.

Christie hit three 3-pointers in key moments, helping Minnesota rally from a nine-point deficit. And when the Gophers were up one with 18 seconds remaining, Christie hit two clutch free throws on a 1-and-1 chance to help secure a 59-56 win.

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

Each game, Christie continues to show that's who he is more and more. Christie is now second on the team in scoring at 11.1 points per game and also averages 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists. Over the last three games — all Gophers wins — Christie is averaging 17. He had 19 in Tuesday’s victory.

But the best part for Johnson isn’t just what he’s done on the offensive side of the ball, but also how he’s improved defensively and on the glass, especially as a freshman playing in an extremely physical Big Ten Conference.

“I think that’s the always the biggest worry with freshmen is: Are they gonna understand the rigors of playing against 22, 23, sometimes 24-year-old men? Are they gonna be able to compete against grown bodies, physically? Are they gonna wear down? Can they make winning plays in league?” Johnson said. “And he’s been able to do that. And I think he’s taken a ton of pride in not being a weak link defensively, not being somebody the other team can just pick on as being a freshman.”

That’s something that can be attributed to Christie’s confidence, something Johnson regularly praises. Johnson describes Christie as “fearless,” and after Tuesday’s game, he shared that the confidence that Christie, as well as Hawkins, rubs off on the rest of the team. He’s seen the likes of Dawson Garcia, Pharrel Payne and Braeden Carrington become more confident players as a result of being around those guys.

“You have a great game, you have a bad game, doesn’t matter, you have to stay the same level, can never get too high or too low because every single game it’s a new game every single time,” Christie said. “So just being able to adapt and adjust and things like that. Obviously, defense is a big part of basketball, you have to be able to play both sides of the ball.

“And defense carries, no matter how well you’re playing offensively, no matter how many points you’re scoring, defense is always something you can rely on, it brings a lot of energy to the team. So that’s something we’re definitely focusing on recently, but just trying to improve all aspects of my game and just do whatever it takes to help the team win.”

Each time out, you can see the strides Christie continues to take during his freshman season, something that's a direct result of all the work he puts in. Johnson and Christie's teammates were quick to point out his work ethic. Parker Fox said Christie is a guy who is "relentlessly in the gym" and one who motivates others to do the same.

“I think just the way he approaches everything he does, you know, forget about basketball, the way he approaches life,” Fox said. “The way — the kind of dude he is off the court, the kind of dude he is when he’s hanging out with us in the dorms and all that kind of stuff. Like I think, I truly believe that good things happen to good people and you know he’s a good dude and he goes about it the right way. He approaches it the right way, he cares about his teammates.

“He passes up shots for other guys to score. And then when the moment comes, he makes big shots. I feel like when Cam Christie is shooting a shot down the stretch, it’s going in and then there’s no way it’s going to even touch the rim, it’s just straight cash.”

Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Cam Christie (24) celebrates after drawing a foul on his three-point shot against the Michigan State Spartans during the second half at Williams Arena in Minneapolis on Feb. 6, 2024 :: Matt Krohn / USA TODAY Sports