Five-star prospect Max Christie announced his commitment to the Michigan State Spartans on Tuesday afternoon over the Duke basketball program.
Players aren’t the only people in college basketball that can enjoy a hot streak, as coaches can do the same, and that is what Tom Izzo is currently riding at the moment.
One week after landing a commitment from Emoni Bates, the No. 1 player in the Class of 2022, Izzo and the Spartans also just received a verbal commitment from Max Christie, the No. 13 overall player in the Class of 2021.
Christie made his announcement to FOX Sports’ Andy Katz in a social media video on Tuesday afternoon followed by a video on his personal Twitter account that pledged his allegiance to Michigan State.
Duke was previously thought to be a favorite to land the 6-foot-6 shooting guard, but a step back by Krzyzewski and his staff coupled by Izzo putting his foot on the gas resulted in the Rolling Meadows, Illinois native staying close to home in East Lansing.
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In what was a surprising revelation prior to his announcement to Katz, Christie said that Duke wasn’t even in his Top-5 schools, listing Michigan State, Villanova, Virginia, Purdue, and Ohio State as his finalists.
Christie is also ranked as the No. 1 shooting guard and the top player in the state of Illinois in the rising senior class, according to the 247 Sports Composite Rankings.
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Duke currently only has one player committed to the program in the Class of 2021, Adrian Griffin Jr. out of Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.), but is targeting several other prospects including No. 2 overall prospect Patrick Baldwin Jr. as well as Paolo Banchero, Kennedy Chandler, Trevor Keels, and Charles Bediako, who just included Duke in his Top-10 finalists.
The Blue Devils are also in the Top-5 for Banchero and Chandler.
However, the sudden news of Max Christie not committing to Duke should not come as much of a surprise after the Blue Devils’ interest in 17-year-old French prospect Ousmane Dieng, despite no official offer to the recruit from Krzyzewski and his staff.
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Recruiting in college basketball is a hit-or-miss type of game, and you are probably going to miss more than you hit, but Duke basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski typically has a big rebound following not landing a specific prospect, and expect that to happen once again in the near future.