Greg McDermott’s coaching staff added the second piece of a 2021 recruiting puzzle on Friday afternoon when John Christofilis announced his verbal commitment to the Jays on his personal Twitter account. Christofilis, a 6-foot-4, 170-pound out of O’Dea High School in Washington, is considered one of the top shooters in the state after knocking down 45 percent of his attempts from 3-point range during his junior season.
Despite holding offers from a number of schools out west, including Washington, Colorado, Oregon State, and Washington State, Christofilis said Omaha stood out from the rest of the pack for a variety of reasons.
“I think what really hit home was the culture there and the small town feel,” Christofilis. “I think going to the Midwest is good for me. I like the environment over there. It’s a real tight-knit community, kind of everybody knows each other type of thing. I just wanted to be a part of something special. I found that in Creighton right away. I built a great relationship with the coaches and I really saw myself playing there, and they did as well. This is the best place for me and my future.”
Aside from the relationships he developed with McDermott and assistant coach Alan Huss, the most appealing component of Creighton’s program was a defined culture of pursuing excellence through hard work and daily development.
“Surrounding myself with people that are going to motivate you every day, and want to see you grow day in and day out, was very important to me when picking the school,” Christofilis said. “That’s what kind of really made it special. That’s what separated Creighton from the rest of the pack was the people and the culture there.
“It’s a special program, and the culture that we’re going to have is a winning culture. From the work that they put in day it and day out to the coaches they have on staff, they are winners. I’m a big people person. I believe if you surround yourself with winners — and Creighton does have that — you will become a winner. It is not easy to win in the Big East. It’s going to take a lot of work, it’s going to take guys being bought in, but I think I’ve found that at Creighton.”
Christofilis battled a turf toe injury during his sophomore season that eventually required surgery in March of 2019. He sought out renowned surgeon Dr. Robert Anderson to perform the surgery. Anderson currently works as a team physician for the Green Bay Packers, and also repaired Stephen Curry’s injured ankle prior the offseason prior to his breakout season in the NBA. The Seattle native said it took some time before he felt comfortable again, but as of today he says he’s feeling better than he did at any point since the surgery.
“That process had its ups and downs, but ultimately it made me better,” he said. “It really made me dive deep on my weaknesses. It was tough in the beginning, but I got through it. I played my junior year at 100 percent, and I feel even better right now than I did during the season. During the AAU season I really felt great.”
The consensus three-star prospect averaged 12 points per game and shot 88 percent from the charity stripe to further compliment his shooting prowess from beyond the 3-point arc. A teammate of highly-touted Duke commit Paolo Banchero, Christofilis earned a spot on the All-Metro League second team for his performance coming off the injury. He helped O’Dea High School earn a runner-up finish in the 2020 3A State Tournament, and was named the 10th best prospect in the state of Washington by former NBA veteran and current ESPN color analyst Dan Dickau prior to averaging 12 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals during his junior season.
Christofilis joins four-star top 100 point guard Ryan Nembhard in Creighton’s 2021 class.