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Khristian Lander announces transfer to Western Kentucky

April 27, 2022 Mike Schumann IUBB 19

Former Indiana guard Khristian Lander will try to reboot his basketball career at a place his father once competed on the gridiron.

Lander announced on Wednesday afternoon he has transferred to Western Kentucky.  His father Keith was a defensive back there in the ’90s under head coach Jack Harbaugh.

The younger Lander announced his transfer on his social media accounts, with a picture of himself in a Western Kentucky uniform, with an old football photo of his father in the background.

Playing in Conference USA should help Lander regain the confidence that seemed to elude him after arriving in Bloomington as a 17 year old.

The Hilltoppers also recently secured the commitment of Kentucky transfer Dontaie Allen, and could be formidable next season under head coach Rick Stansbury.

The 6-foot-2 sophomore guard played in 39 games over two seasons with Indiana and averaged 2.4 points in 9.7 minutes per contest.

The Evansville, Ind. product reclassified to join the IU program a year early in 2020.  He was originally a 5-star prospect and the No. 11 overall player in the class of 2021 according to 247Sports.  His commitment to Indiana in February, 2020 generated considerable buzz and excitement from IU fans.

Despite the ranking service accolades, Lander never materialized as a top-tier talent during his time at IU.  He fell to third on the point guard depth chart as a sophomore and appeared in just 13 games, never able to carve-out a meaningful role behind Xavier Johnson and Rob Phinisee.

Lander also put his name in the portal soon after the 2020-21 season following the firing of head coach Archie Miller, but decided to stay and play for Mike Woodson.

He will have three years of eligibility remaining at WKU.

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