After an eye-opening freshman season and then starring on the club circuit in the spring and summer with the Illinois Wolves, Rolling Meadows star guard Max Christie has landed on the national scene.
The 6-5 sophomore, who is the state’s top young prospect and already ranked among the top 25 players in the country in the Class of 2021, has put himself in position to be part of USA Basketball. Christie was chosen to be in a select group that will compete for a spot on the national team. Tryouts will be conducted later this fall to determine the roster for the FIBA World Championships.
In the past several months, Christie has picked up offers from the likes of Illinois, DePaul, Florida, Loyola, Northwestern and Wisconsin. The smooth point guard averaged 18 points a game as a freshman.
Oswego East’s Raymond Dennis (10) works to get around an Aurora Christian defender. Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times.
RayJ Dennis heads to Boise, sets up visits
With 20-plus offers on the table, Oswego East star RayJ Dennis has had his hands full in trimming his list and setting up official visits.
The 6-2 combo guard, fresh off a terrific junior season and a stock-raising summer on the club circuit, will visit Boise State this weekend. Following that he will take official visits to Toledo, Vermont and Cleveland State. Wisconsin-Milwaukee also remains in the mix.
Evanston’s Lance Jones goes up for a dunk in the first half against Zion-Benton. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.
Recruiting tidbits
• Glenbard West’s Evan Taylor, a versatile 6-5 senior who averaged 17.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists a game this past season, has a pair of official visits set. Taylor will visit Southern Illinois and Dartmouth in September. Both Princeton and Cornell are also involved.
• Evanston senior guard Lance Jones has committed to Southern Illinois.
• Brother Rice’s Marquise Kennedy, who put together an eye-opening summer on the club circuit, recently took an official visit to Illinois State. The 6-1 guard will visit both Wichita State and Loyola in September.
• The state’s top prospect, Belleville West’s E.J. Liddell, will take his first official visit this weekend. Liddell, one of the top 50 players in the country, will head to Columbus to visit Ohio State.
