Northwestern hosts No. 4 Ohio State on Friday night at Ryan Field for the marquee football game of the season. And the Wildcats basketball team is taking advantage of it.
Head coach Chris Collins and his staff will host a pair of big-time Chicago-area 2021 prospects for unofficial visits on Friday: five-star Max Christie and four-star Bryce Hopkins.
Christie and Hopkins will attend Northwestern's open scrimmage at 4:30 p.m. at Welsh-Ryan Arena. A football pep rally follows at 5:10 p.m., featuring an appearance by the football team. Then comes the main event: the 7:30 p.m. kickoff against the Buckeyes.
Both players have visited Northwestern previously and are among the top targets for the Wildcats for 2021.
Max Christie
Christie is one of the top national recruits in the nation and ranked 17th in the Class of 2021 by Rivals.
Christie had an eventful summer for a high schooler. He impressed coaches playing for the Illinois Wolves AAU squad and added Duke to his offer list in late July. He also got to play overseas for the USA Under-16 National Team and participate in Steph Curry's SC30 Select Camp.
The 6-foot-5 phenom from northwest suburban Rolling Meadows High School has visited Northwestern multiple times. His mother, Katrina Hannaford Christie, is a Northwestern alum who scored more than 1,000 points during her Wildcat career.
"He shoots the ball very well, is a high level decision maker and has versatility," said Rivals recruiting analyst Eric Bossi after watching Christie at the USA Basketball U16 tryouts.
Bryce Hopkins
Hopkins, a 6-foot-5 wing, comes from Oak Park Fenwick, the same program that produced former Wildcat Scottie Lindsey. He is ranked as the No. 64 player in the nation for the 2021 class and plays for the Mokan Elite AAU program.
Hopkins just visited Northwestern last month, so a return visit so soon afterward could be a good omen for the Wildcats. His offer list includes Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State and Wisconsin from the Big Ten. He attended Louisville's Midnight Madness event in September.
The versatile Hopkins can play either shooting guard or small forward at the next level.
Northwestern basketball recruiting has been on a roll lately, bouncing back from the summer decommitment of four-star guard Joe Bamisile. In the last month, the Wildcats landed a pair of 2020 commits in four-star combo guard Ty Berry and three-star big man Matt Nicholson, and also hosted three Rivals150 prospects from the Detroit area: four-star Pierre Brooks and three-stars Jaden Akins and Julian Roper.
The Wildcats look to continue their momentum with Christie's and Hopkins' visit.
