Josh Christopher
Joshua Christopher (born December 8, 2001) is an American college basketball player for the Arizona State Sun Devils of the Pac-12 Conference. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the best shooting guards in the 2020 class. At the high school level, he competed for Mayfair High School in Lakewood, California.
No. 13 – Arizona State Sun Devils | |
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Position | Shooting guard |
League | Pac-12 Conference |
Personal information | |
Born | December 8, 2001 |
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Mayfair (Lakewood, California) |
College | Arizona State (2020–present) |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Early life and high school career
Christopher grew up playing basketball with his older brother, Caleb, in elementary school, middle school and his first two years with Mayfair High School in Lakewood, California, as well as on the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit.[1][2] In his childhood, he often played against older opponents.[3] As a sophomore at Mayfair, Christopher averaged 25.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4 steals and 3.6 assists per game, leading his team to a 21–8 record.[4] In his junior season, he averaged 25 points per game and won the Division 2AA championship.[5] As a senior, Christopher was joined by Dior Johnson, one of the highest rated sophomores in the country. He averaged 29.2 points, 8 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.1 steals per game, leading his team to the CIF Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinals.[6][7] Christopher was selected to play in the McDonald's All-American Game, Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit, but all three games were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.[8]
Recruiting
Christopher is a consensus five-star recruit and the number two shooting guard in the 2020 recruiting class. On April 13, 2020, he announced his commitment to Arizona State over Michigan, USC, Missouri and UCLA. Christopher became Arizona State's highest-ranked recruit in the modern recruiting era and the program's first five-star recruit since James Harden in 2007.[9]
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
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Josh Christopher SG |
Carson, CA | Mayfair (CA) | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Apr 13, 2020 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 12 247Sports: 8 ESPN: 11 | ||||||
Sources:
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Personal life
Christopher is the youngest of four siblings, all of whom have played basketball.[10] His brother, Patrick, played professionally, including a brief stint with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Patrick's godbrother is former NBA player Tayshaun Prince.[1] Christopher's sister, Paris, played college basketball for Saint Mary's but suffered a career-ending injury as a freshman.[11] His brother, Caleb, plays collegiately for Arizona State. Christopher's father, Laron, is a musician.[3] His parents are devout Christians.[2]
Christopher is often known as "Jaygup," a nickname created in his childhood.[2]
References
- Turner, Josiah (January 24, 2020). "Josh Christopher's Family Tree Is Paving the Way for Success". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
- Yeboah, Eric (December 13, 2019). "There's No Changing the One and Only Jaygup". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
- Sondheimer, Eric (December 21, 2017). "Sophomore guard Joshua Christopher is making basketball fun at Mayfair". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
- Ugland, Devin (January 6, 2018). "Mayfair boys basketball's Josh Christopher is a rising star". Press-Telegram. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
- John, Andrew L. (December 28, 2018). "Star recruit Josh Christopher trying to enjoy every moment of his basketball journey". The Desert Sun. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
- Jordan, Jason (April 1, 2020). "SI All-American Josh Christopher Highlights". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
- Divens, Jordan (March 25, 2020). "MaxPreps 2019-20 High School Boys Basketball All-American Team". MaxPreps. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
- Jordan, Jason (March 12, 2019). "McDonald's All American Game Cancelled Amid COVID-19 Concerns". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
- Borzello, Jeff (April 13, 2020). "Arizona State lands top-10 senior Josh Christopher". ESPN. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
- Woods, Erik (September 9, 2018). "Josh & Caleb Christopher: Family Secret Sauce to Success, Part 1". Rivals. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
- Gorcey, Ryan (June 26, 2017). "History repeats itself with Christopher". 247Sports. Retrieved February 25, 2020.