CHRISTIE A UNIQUE PICK
ROLLING MEADOWS GUARD, MICHIGAN ST. RECRUIT BECOMES FIRST PLAYER FROM MID-SUBURBAN LEAGUE TO WIN HONOR
Max Christie is a nationally known player now, a McDonald’s All-American. It’s easy to forget that four years ago, Christie took us all by surprise. His name wasn’t on anyone’s lips as the state’s best incoming freshman.
“I remember all the other kids that were really good in seventh grade having these mixtapes and stuff,” Christie said. “I never had a mixtape [in junior high]. My parents didn’t really throw me out there. Everyone knowing who you are in seventh and eighth grade as you are a young kid maturing and going into high school, I just didn’t think it was necessary, and neither did my parents. And now four years, five years later, it really paid off. I didn’t need all that attention. It just naturally came; we didn’t force it on me.”
Christie’s parents, Max Sr. and Katrina, played basketball in college. Katrina was a star at Northwestern, and Max Sr. was the leading scorer at Wisconsin-Superior. That experience clearly gave them confidence that mixtapes and hype wouldn’t be necessary for their son to succeed.
The Rolling Meadows senior was an instant sensation in high school. He started filling up the stat sheet as a freshman and never stopped. That surprised his coaches, but not his parents.
“To be honest, yes, we knew he would start out that well,” Katrina Christie said. “We knew how much work he had put in on and off the court. We didn’t feel this need to put him out there and expose him everywhere. We just kind of kept it quiet and local, but we knew what he was capable of, and I guess we had more faith in him than everybody else.”
Christie might be the first Chicago SunTimes Player of the Year who has been outscored in a high school game by his mother. Katrina (Hannaford) Christie scored 55 points in a game for Eau Claire Memorial, a high school in Wisconsin. Christie’s best game in high school was 51 points.
“I wasn’t thinking about my mom’s 55 during that game at all,” Christie said. “It was kind of a close game, so I was pretty focused on that.”
Christie led Rolling Meadows to a 15-0 record this season, but there was no state tournament because of COVID-19 mitigations. The Mustangs also were limited to a handful of nonconference games and weren’t able to play in the Chipotle Clash of Champions because of conference commitments.
Those circumstances led to Christie being a Player of the Year much of the area has never seen play, a rarity in this era of highprofile shootouts.
“It’s not that big of a deal to me,” Christie said. “If anyone really wanted to come see me, they probably would have made the time to come do it. People can watch me on TV next year. I’m not really concerned about the backlash or any reaction to me winning this award. I’m just glad I won it.”
Rolling Meadows didn’t face a Public League powerhouse during Christie’s high school career. The highest-profile game the Mustangs played over the last four years took place during Christie’s junior year when they lost to Bryce Hopkins and Fenwick.
“No one in the city wanted to play Rolling Meadows,” Max Christie Sr. said. “It just so happened that he is known more nationally than he is locally. People can’t say he’s no good because they haven’t seen him play.”
“He’s played plenty of [top players] in situations that maybe aren’t public for everyone to come watch,” Katrina Christie said. “I think it is more of a motivator for him.”
Christie averaged 24 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks this season. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo speaks often of Christie’s ability to distribute and play multiple positions. He’s more than just a shooter. He is also the first local player to turn down a scholarship offer from Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.
“Duke wasn’t the right fit, but the biggest thing was that Michigan State really preached what they wanted and what they needed me to be,” Christie said. “Just looking at the offense, what would fit me best, Michigan State was the better fit for me.”
Christie is unique in another way. He’s the first Player of the Year from the Mid-Suburban League.
“My goal coming into high school was to put Rolling Meadows back on the map,” Christie said. “I think, especially this year, a lot of people saw that the Mid-Suburban League wasn’t just a walk in the park. We had Hersey, Buffalo Grove, a lot of great teams in there. To be the first kid in this area to win the Sun-Times Player of the Year feels great, to break that barrier and show that the MSL is a great conference to play in.”