Gophers guard Cam Christie to test NBA Draft process, maintain eligibility; Fox returning

As expected, the young, star guard for the Gophers men’s basketball team is testing the waters on possibly turning pro but a veteran is returning.

The program announced Friday that freshman Cam Christie submitted paperwork for early entry into the 2024 NBA Draft but will maintain his college eligibility, meaning he could still return to the Gophers. KSTP Sports’ Darren “Doogie” Wolfson first reported Christie was leaning that way late last month.

The 6-foot-6 guard made an immediate impact on the Maroon and Gold, ranking second no the team in scoring at 11.3 points per game while shooting 40.3% from the field and 39.1 from three in over 30 minutes per game.

Of the 33 games Christie played in this past season, he scored in double digits in 21 contests.

His efforts earned him two Freshman of the Week honors from the Big Ten and also got him a spot on the conference’s All-Freshman Team, the first Gopher to do that since Amir Coffey in 2017.

The Gophers have gotten some good news recently with some key players announcing they’ll return to the program next season after several others entered the transfer portal after the team’s season ended. However, Christie’s return would be perhaps the biggest for a team that finished 10th in the Big Ten last season and was hoping to take another step forward next year.

The deadline to withdraw from the NBA Draft is June 16.

Also on Friday, Parker Fox announced that he’ll use his last year of college eligibility to play for the Gophers next season.

The 6-foot-8 forward from Mahtomedi was finally able to contribute to the team last season after suffering back-to-back season-ending knee injuries the two years prior. In a sixth man role, he was one of just two Gophers to play in all 34 games last season and averaged 5.1 points and 2.9 rebounds in 14 minutes per game.