Khristian Lander
| No. 4 – Western Kentucky Hilltoppers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard |
| League | Conference USA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | August 9, 2002 |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | FJ Reitz (Evansville, Indiana) |
| College |
|
Khristian Lander (born August 9, 2002) is an American college basketball player for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers of the Conference USA. He previously played for the Indiana Hoosiers of the Big Ten Conference.
High school career[edit]
Lander played basketball for FJ Reitz High School in Evansville, Indiana. As a junior, he averaged 21 points, six rebounds and 4.6 assists per game, earning MaxPreps Junior All-American third team honors. Lander finished his high school career with 1,314 points.[1] He also played on the AAU circuit with Indiana Elite, where he built a relationship with future college teammates Trey Galloway and Anthony Leal.[2]
Lander was a consensus five-star recruit, according to major recruiting services. On February 25, 2020, he announced his commitment to Indiana over offers from Louisville, Memphis and Michigan, among others.[3] On May 18, it was announced that Lander, originally a member of the 2021 class, would reclassify to the 2020 class. He made the decision in part because he wanted to play with Trayce Jackson-Davis.[4]
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khristian Lander PG |
Evansville, IN | FJ Reitz (IN) | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | Feb 25, 2020 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 90
| ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 26 247Sports: 26 ESPN: 27 | ||||||
Sources:
| ||||||
College career[edit]
As a freshman, Lander averaged 2.1 points and 1.2 assists per game. After the season, he initially entered the transfer portal due to the firing of coach Archie Miller, but opted to remain at Indiana when the school hired Mike Woodson.[5] On February 8, 2022, Lander was one of five players suspended by Woodson for breaking team rules.[6] Lander was reinstated on February 10, after missing one game.[7]
In April 2022, Lander transferred to Western Kentucky. He averaged 3.2 points per game as a junior.[8]
Career statistics[edit]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College[edit]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | Indiana | 26 | 0 | 10.1 | .257 | .273 | .875 | .8 | 1.2 | .3 | .2 | 2.1 |
| 2021–22 | Indiana | 13 | 0 | 8.8 | .452 | .526 | .750 | .8 | 0.9 | .3 | .1 | 2.9 |
| 2022–23 | Western Kentucky | 33 | 2 | 11.4 | .307 | .204 | .579 | .8 | 0.6 | .2 | .1 | 3.2 |
| Career | 72 | 2 | 10.5 | .312 | .277 | .686 | .8 | .9 | .3 | .1 | 2.8 |
Personal life[edit]
Lander is the son of Keith and Brandie Lander. He and his father have matching tattoos of their initials, depicting a prince crown and a king crown, he also has really close friends he made during his time in Indiana with Aeden King Evyn King and Hailey Miles, respectively.[9]
References[edit]
- ^ Bozich, Alex (May 18, 2020). "Indiana confirms addition of Khristian Lander to 2020 recruiting class". Inside the Hall. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ Bozich, Alex (February 25, 2020). "2021 five-star point guard Khristian Lander commits to Indiana". Inside the Hall. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ Drummond, Cameron (26 February 2020). "Banner Morning: Five-star guard Khristian Lander commits to Indiana". Assembly Call. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ "Five-star point guard Khristian Lander moves into 2020 class". IU Hoosiers. 2020-05-18. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
- ^ Brew, Tom (April 6, 2021). "Indiana's Khristian Lander Pulls Out of Transfer Portal, Stays With Hoosiers". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
- ^ Pegram, Mike (February 8, 2022). "'They broke rules and were punished for it' - Woodson sounds off after loss". 247 Sports. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
- ^ "Indiana Hoosiers reinstate suspended players after curfew violation". ESPN. Associated Press. February 11, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
- ^ Neddenriep, Kyle (March 21, 2024). "Former rivals Khristian Lander (IU), Brandon Newman (Purdue) leaders for Western Kentucky". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ Lindskog, Chad. "Reitz five-star guard Khristian Lander doesn't mind the spotlight". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved May 24, 2020.