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player ready...Max Christie is motivated to make the most of his final season at Rolling Meadows.
Christie, a junior guard, is a consensus five-star recruit and is one of the best players in nationally in the recruiting class of 2021. But beyond the individual accolades, he’s aiming to help the Mustangs bounce back from their quick exit from the Class 4A playoffs.
Maine West defeated Rolling Meadows 66-61 on March 3 in a 4A Maine West Regional semifinal. The Mustangs (20-9) had one of the best seasons in program history but could not break through for their first regional title since 2001. They have not won a playoff game with Christie in the lineup.
“My main goal is to just win, win and win,” Christie said. “If we can do that, my individual goals will fall into place. I know what I can do individually, but what I think a lot of people question about me is my ability to lead a team. I want to erase all those doubts heading into next season.”
Still, the Mustangs achieved numerous milestones with a young team that could be one of the best in the area next season.
Christie averaged 25 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks per game. He is undeniably the driving force. The Mustangs notched their first 20-win season since 1990-91 and the fourth-best record in program history.
“We’re motivated to capitalize on the success we had this year. Getting 20 wins was a goal of ours and we were able to achieve it,” Christie said. “But we also left a lot of goals on the table, and we’re looking to make sure we don’t make the same mistake again.”
Rolling Meadows coach Kevin Katovich said Christie stayed grounded throughout the season despite a swell of people clamoring for his attention.
“Max has to focus on the next phase for him now,” he said. “He has to decide where to go to college and his AAU season. He’s going to eclipse all the individual records at Meadows. We had a target all year on our back because of him. It’s been a long time since beating Rolling Meadows was like winning a championship for a lot of teams.
“What Max has done for our program, community and school is great. He’s a great role model. Now it’s about figuring out his legacy with the team goals.”
Katovich said one of the biggest highlights was a thrilling 93-83 double-overtime win at Buffalo Grove on Feb. 7.
“We had a really good season,” he said. “But our guys would agree, we had an empty feeling. We were hoping to at least make it to a regional championship game. We set a lot of goals, reached some of them and didn’t reach some. Overall, it was a good year.
“We played in so many big games. Everywhere we went, it was a full house. It was a great experience for our younger kids.”
Katovich said the Mustangs haven’t finalized their 2020-21 schedule, but they will play Fenwick in the When Sides Collide shootout again and “look to add a couple of other games against some highly ranked teams.”
The Mustangs will bring back most their core next season, with freshman guard Cameron Christie and sophomore guard Orlando Thomas among the main returning players.
“At our end-of-the-year meeting, the message was we have a lot of guys coming back, but other teams do as well, so we can’t just show up in November,” Katovich said. “We have to put in the work. We have a strong junior class, and they are a tight-knit group.”
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press