Illinois Basketball: Illini extend offer to local 3-star forward

Illinois basketball head coach Brad Underwood and the coaching staff are doing everything in their power to ensure the future of the program remains bright.

It is safe to say that we are in a new era for the Illini. Following the loss to Houston in the NCAA Tournament, Illinois has seen multiple players depart from the program.

Along with the departures of seniors Trent Frazier, Da’Monte Williams, and Jacob Grandison, the Illini saw sophomores Andre Curbelo and Omar Payne enter the transfer portal.

To fill the future voids, the Orange and Blue extended an offer to three-star recruit Cam Christie on Tuesday.

Christie – a 6-foot-6, 160-pound forward attending Rolling Meadows High School – is ranked the No. 143 overall prospect in the class of 2023 and the No. 4 recruit in the state of Illinois.

As of right now, Christie holds offers from other Big Ten schools such as Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio State, Purdue, and Michigan State, which is where his brother Max currently plays.

What would Cam Christie bring to the Illinois basketball program?

Standing at 6-foot-6, the Rolling Meadows forward possesses a long frame that he uses to his advantage both offensively and defensively. Christie’s tape shows that he loves to drive to the basket and use his length to finish with a dunk or a heavily contested layup.

The three-star also has a dangerous mid-range game, along with a floater that he uses a lot.

Christie’s most notable feat, however, is his ability to shoot the three-ball. He once hit

seven three-pointers

(yes, you read that right) in a game.

According to Rivals’ FanFutureCast, there is an 88% chance Christie heads to East Lansing to play with his brother at Michigan State. It is still very early in his recruitment, however, so anything is possible.