From Coach Ray to Coach Roy

After Christian put his name in the transfer portal at the end of his junior season at CSU, he and Coach Ray met every Monday to talk about the pros and cons of each school that expressed interest in him.

“I valued his look on things,” said Christian. “We have an unbelievable relationship. While I was at CSU, he truly coached me. He brought me in as a knucklehead kid from Augusta and changed me into a young man. He taught me so many lessons on and off the court.”

Among the lessons Christian appreciates is one that occurred during his junior season, when Coach Ray made his star player come off the bench because he saw a drop in defensive effort.

“I still played 28-30 minutes a game, but when he did that, it made a difference for me and the team,” Christian said. “It told the other guys that they needed to step up on the defensive end. It told them that everyone is accountable, including me. We had tough conversations, but I learned I’m not an exception.”

The benching took place over a seven-game period. Christian supported his replacement and began playing better, offensively and defensively. During that stretch, his shooting percentage increased to 60 percent from behind the arc and 55 percent from the field. “We started winning more,” Christian pointed out. “Coach Ray taught me how to do things the right way, in a respectable way, and that’s one of the reasons I love him. He’s like a second father to me, and wherever he is I call home because of what he put into me and did for me.”

Christian’s love for the CSU program stems from the trust he built with the entire coaching stuff. He never had a problem in the classroom, but in practice, especially during his first two seasons, he didn’t always listen to what they were teaching him. At times, he talked back to the staff in front of the team.

“None of my coaches turned their back on me,” he said. “Instead, they nurtured me. There were plenty of times they could have sent me home for one reason or another, but they worked with me and taught me that this is what you don’t do and this is how you deal with this situation better. They taught me how to share my thoughts with them privately. That’s how you do it as a man.”

Christian respected them for having honest, open conversations with him, no matter how difficult.

“We could share our perspectives on things and then go to lunch, say ‘I love you,’ and be done with it,” he said. “To have a tough conversation and then a couple hours later love on each other is a real relationship.”

Although he needed to mature early on at CSU, Christian still led the team throughout his time as a Buc, winning the respect of his teammates and coaches by never giving in – by never backing down against an opponent.

“They always knew I was going to be the ultimate competitor in that rectangle,” he said. “We’re going to bring the fight, and I’m going to have their back. If an opponent beats me, they’re going to have blood and tears. That’s because I want to win.”

This past spring, after putting his name in the transfer portal, Christian heard from 10 schools within 10 minutes. He immediately became one of the most sought-after graduate transfers in the entire country. He began narrowing his list of options, and schools started visiting him in North Charleston.

Initially, Carolina didn’t come for a visit due to the Tar Heels’ advancement into the second weekend of the NCAA tournament. But once the season ended, he heard from Carolina assistant coach Brad Frederick, who recruited Cam Johnson as a graduate transfer from Pittsburgh two years prior. Frederick served as Christian’s primary recruiter. Then, on Easter weekend, head coach Roy Williams visited CSU to meet with Christian and Coach Ray while on his way to nearby Isle of Palms.

“We chopped it up in the film room,” Christian recalled. “He told me everything he needed, especially scoring and rebounding because they were losing so many guys. He wrote it up on the board in the room.”

Christian formed an immediate connection with his future – now current – coach.

“He’s very genuine, down to earth, and savvy,” Christian said. “He knows who he is and he doesn’t think he’s too big. He said straight up that he wasn’t going to promise me a starting spot, which I liked. If a coach promises me a starting spot, then I’m going to wonder who else he promised one to.”

Williams and Christian connected personally. They discussed the loss of parents and their experiences coming from humble beginnings.

“He told me that losing a parent shaped him and that he was a blue-collar kid, too,” Christian said.

Later, Christian visited Chapel Hill, where he watched a lot of film and enjoyed the opportunity to play and hang out with his future teammates. He gives special credit to senior guard Brandon Robinson for helping recruit him to the program. The fellow Georgia native hails from Douglasville, a couple hours from Augusta. Robinson played against Christian beginning in middle school and continuing in AAU in high school. The two were even teammates on an all-star team.

“We crossed paths a lot when we were young,” Christian said. “B-Rob called and told me that he heard they were interested in me. Coach Roy had talked to him while he was working out. He raved about Coach, saying he’s going to tell you the truth regardless of the situation. What struck me was that B-Rob told me they really needed me. He said, ‘I’d tell you if we wanted you but didn’t need you. We really need you. We think we can win a championship if you come.’”

The call from Robinson informed Christian about the type of character and chemistry of this group of Tar Heels.

“He was okay with sharing some of his minutes,” Christian said. “He told Coach Roy that too. That blew me away and that told me who B-Rob is – someone who’s willing to sacrifice his minutes in order to win. That’s big time. It told me about their program. They just want to win.”

Curtis Sr., Greg, and Christian’s uncle Harold visited Chapel Hill with Christian. Greg credited the entire staff for the approach they took with his former Team Power star, letting him know what he could expect to experience after joining the program. They told him he would be pushed to the limit, but they’d be there for him. He’d be able to handle it.

“Even though Christian would only be there a year, he’d be part of the family forever,” Greg said. “The staff really set the tone about how UNC does things and we embraced it.”

Greg was particularly impressed by how down to earth the Hall of Fame head coach is.

“The Carolina visit can get overwhelming when you get caught up in the museum and the history and their walk-in Hall of Fame,” Greg said. “But we sensed a lot of genuineness in Coach Roy. I’ve been on a lot of recruiting trips, and you don’t see many coaches who allow you to question them on everything. He answered them all. He was very genuine with us and real. He spent every bit of time that we needed with us. We felt like we could go to war with Coach Roy.”