Hoosiers Now

Khristian Lander Transfers to Western Kentucky With Three Years of Eligibility

Khristian Lander came to Indiana after his junior year of high school as a five-star recruit, but his career as a Hoosier never quite worked out. He's now transferring to Western Kentucky to play for head coach Rick Stansbury.

Jack Ankony

Khristian Lander Transfers to Western Kentucky With Three Years of Eligibility
Khristian Lander Transfers to Western Kentucky With Three Years of Eligibility /

Khristian Lander announced on Wednesday that he will transfer to Western Kentucky University to play under head coach Rick Stansbury. Lander has three years of eligibility remaining. 

Lander's commitment post on Twitter says, "Like father, like son." Lander's father Keith played cornerback and safety on the Western Kentucky football team.

Lander will play for the Hilltoppers after spending two seasons at Indiana. He was recruited by former Indiana head coach Archie Miller and arrived in Bloomington as after his junior year. Lander skipped his senior year of high school at Evansville Reitz and reclassified into the 2020 class. He was ranked as a five-star recruit, the No. 27 player in the nation and the No. 1 player in the state of Indiana, according to 247Sports. 

Lander came to Indiana with a lot of hype, but his career as a Hoosier never panned out. Under Miller as a freshman, Lander appeared in 20 games and averaged 10.1 minutes per game. Coming off the bench, Lander averaged 2.1 points per game and shot 26 percent from the field. 

Lander's career-high scoring total came on Dec. 13, 2020 when he scored 10 points in Indiana's win over North Alabama. In this game, Lander also grabbed a season-high four rebounds. 

Following his freshman season, Lander entered the transfer portal but decided to return to Bloomington after Indiana hired Mike Woodson as its next coach. In a Twitter post announcing his return, Lander expressed his trust in Woodson.

"I want to be one of the reasons Indiana basketball gets back to being great again," Lander said in the post. "I'm putting my trust into my team, coach Woodson and the staff he is assembling."

During Lander's second season in Bloomington, he was stuck behind two veteran guards in the depth chart and struggled to see the floor on a consistent basis. Lander also dealt with a leg injury throughout the season, resulting in him playing in 13 games off the bench. Lander averaged 2.9 points per game and shot 45 percent from the field while playing 8.8 minutes per game. 

As a sophomore, Lander's season-high came against Louisiana on Nov. 21, 2021. In this game, he also totaled a season-high six rebounds, six assists two steals and four turnovers.

Lander will now start his next chapter at Western Kentucky, who finished with a 19-13 overall record last season. The Hilltoppers compete in Conference USA and finished in second place in the East Division last season with an 11-7 record in conference. Western Kentucky's season came to an end with a 59-57 loss to Louisiana Tech in the Conference USA tournament. 

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Jack Ankony
JACK ANKONY

Jack Ankony is a Sports Illustrated/FanNation writer for HoosiersNow.com. He graduated from Indiana University's Media School with a degree in journalism. Follow on Twitter @ankony_jack.

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