Rolling Meadows junior Max Christie sometimes feels like the state’s overlooked superstar. The Mustangs haven’t played in any high-profile shootouts or made a run in the state tournament yet. The mixtape-video guys don’t make the trip out to Mid-Suburban League games regularly.
So for most fans, Christie is just a name in text with numbers next to it. The numbers are impressive but don’t do justice to the smooth, effortless beauty of his game.
Christie, the state’s top junior, scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Mustangs to a 65-60 win against Prospect on Friday night in front of a large crowd in Mount Prospect. He shot 10-for-14 from the field and was 3-for-4 from three-point range.
Christie has been on varsity since he was a freshman, and this is clearly the most talented group of players he has had around him. That came in handy against the Knights. Senior Jonah Ogunsanya knocked down a crucial three-pointer with 2:16 to play, just seconds after Prospect cut Rolling Meadows’ lead to 57-53.
“The last two years, I’ve had to do a lot of the work,” Christie said. “It’s a huge relief this year. We’re winning more games, and there are a lot of great people like Jonah all around me. I can dish it to shooters, and I know I don’t have to do it all.”
Ogunsanya, a transfer from Prospect, finished with 12 points.
“To win where I practiced all the time, against all the guys I know, was a surreal feeling,” Ogunsanya said.
Christie has developed a knack for knowing when to step up and take over, a hallmark of all great players.
“That’s experience and my parents and trainers, too,” he said. “We watch film, and they tell me that I have to take over at certain times of the game.”
Christie’s brother Cameron, a freshman, is also starting for the Mustangs (7-2, 3-0 Mid-Suburban League East) and has had some nice games so far this season — though he struggled against the Knights.
“This was a great learning game for Cameron,” Max Christie said. “Adversity is a great opportunity. He really wanted to do well in this game. He was talking about it all day. He’s a freshman and wants to come in and play against our rival and play really well. They played great defense on him. We’re going to go watch film and my dad is probably going to light him up. He’s going to come back stronger.”
Senior Matt Woloch led Prospect (4-5, 1-2) with 17 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Owen Schneider added 14.
Max Christie, a top-20 player in the national class of 2021, picked up an offer from Duke over the summer. He’s well aware that no local player has turned down the Blue Devils since coach Mike Krzyzewski turned them into a national powerhouse. Former Glenbrook North star Jon Scheyer is helping to recruit Christie.
“I’m a 16-year-old kid, turning 17 in February,” Christie said. “I’m just trying to take my time and make the best decision for me. [If Duke] is not the best decision for me, I’m not going to go there. Obviously I haven’t come close to a decision. I’m just taking my time, talking to my coaches and everybody.”
Rolling Meadows plays in the York Holiday Tournament next week. That’s where Christie has received the most attention the last two years, and it’s likely to increase.
The Mustangs also face Fenwick and Bryce Hopkins, the state’s second-ranked junior, in the When Sides Collide Shootout at Glenbard East on Jan. 25. Barring a deep run at York, that game will be the first major local moment for Christie. He earned rave reviews playing against elite national prospects over the spring and summer. Local fans are eager to see him against elite local competition.
“He knows the moments now when he needs to step up — and he does,” Mustangs coach Kevin Katovich said.
The final minute of Rolling Meadows at Prospect https://t.co/pxd9AamSaY
— Michael O'Brien (@michaelsobrien) December 21, 2019
