Khristian Lander reclassifies, officially joins 2020 class
Class of 2021 point guard Khristian Lander has officially announced he will reclassify and join Indiana's 2020 recruiting class, he tells TheHoosier.com. Lander was rated a five-star recruit and the No. 17 player in the 2021 class.
Lander will join Jordan Geronimo, Anthony Leal and Trey Galloway in Indiana's 2020 class which is set to enroll this summer. The 6-foot-2 point guard is already well familiar with most of the class as he was teammates with both Leal and Galloway for Indiana Elite on the AAU circuit.
Now that Lander has made his reclassifying official, Indiana's 2020 recruiting class is finalized.
Though his decision to reclassify didn't come to light until after he committed to Indiana on February 25, it was something he was thinking about well before then.
"I started thinking about reclassifying about six months ago," Lander said. "What made it so appealing was that I felt like I was good enough to play with the college guys right now and contribute to any team I would have picked... It’s a big weight off of my shoulders"
Before COVID-19 halted the sports world, Lander was averaging nearly 23 points, six rebounds and four assists per game as he helped Evansville Reitz to a 17-7 record and a Sectional Championship.
Khristian Lander comes to Indiana with high expectations, expectations that aren't always easy to live up to, especially for someone reclassifying up a full year. Despite that, Lander feels he is ready to compete right away.
"Individually I just want to show everyone that I can play with the college guys," Lander emphasized. "The only thing I feel like is most important is just putting on weight and knowing the college offense."
Lander's reclassification does come at a cost, however, as he will no longer have a true senior season. He joined Indiana Sports Beat, powered by TheHoosier.com, and discussed what went into the decision and what he'll miss having a chance to be a part of.
"I had to take four courses, two semesters of English, a government class and economics class," Lander explained. "I would say probably Mr. Basketball I'll miss most and since I'm more of a higher ranked recruit, missing out on the McDonald's All-American game and Jordan Brand game."
Now that Lander has made it official, he has a couple of goals in place for the Hoosiers next year.
"As a team I just want us to build chemistry fast so we can play at our best," Lander told TheHoosier.com. "I also want to get a Big 10 Championship."
Indiana's 2020 class is now ranked No. 11 in the country.
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