Big signing day coming for Gophers men's basketball with Dennis Evans, Cam Christie

Ben Johnson saw two potential program-changing recruits in the 2023 class when his Gophers staff targeted Dennis Evans III from California and Cam Christie from Illinois.

The Gophers pursued Evans and Christie more than any Minnesota prospect, testing the staff's ability to connect outside of the state in Johnson's second year as coach.

They ended up with two home runs as college basketball's national early signing period begins Wednesday.

"It's a really cool thing," Evans said. "Seeing the fact that they're willing to go far away just to find a few players who fit into their program."

Evans, a 7-foot-1, five-star center from Riverside Hillcrest, will be the highest rated prospect to ink a letter of intent with the U since Kris Humphries in 2003. He's ranked 13th in the 2023 class by Rivals and 27th by 247Sports.

"There's going to be some big expectations," Evans said. "But it's nothing I'm not willing to live up to."

Christie, a 6-6 combo guard from Rolling Meadows, also has the potential to contribute as a freshman with the Gophers as a four-star recruit and the No. 3 senior in Illinois.

When Christie joined Evans on his official visit to Minnesota's campus earlier this fall, he recognized similar traits in himself: humble yet driven to improve. They were both drawn to Johnson rebuilding a Big Ten program preaching hard work in a family environment with the players and coaching staff.

"We were able to talk to each other a little bit," Christie said about Evans. "He loves to work. He's focused on basketball. He's not worried about any of the other stuff. He just wants to get better and help the team win. I'm excited to be with like-minded people."

The ceiling for Evans seems limitless with his improving offensive game and 7-7 wingspan. He's already widely known as arguably the best shot blocker in high school, which earned him a spot on Team USA's 17U World Cup gold medal team this summer.

Johnson and assistant coach Marcus Jenkins discovered a much rawer version of Evans more than a year ago when recruiting current Gophers freshman Jaden Henley. That relationship developed over time with Evans, who blossomed into a consensus top 30 prospect. He picked the U over TCU, with Kansas among other schools that offered.

"It's a great experience finally getting to sign," Evans said. "I really liked the culture and that [Johnson] was always truthful with me. He never lied to me about the situation or anything."

The focus in Johnson's 2022 class happened to be more locally with Minnesota natives Pharrel Payne, Joshua Ola-Joseph and Braeden Carrington. But three straight four-star prospects committed to the Gophers from outside of the state this year, including Kadyn Betts, a Colorado native who reclassified and joined Minnesota's team as a current freshman.