Lander reclassifies, will join IU next season

Indiana won’t have to wait much longer to get Khristian Lander on the roster. He’ll be a Hoosier next season.

The five-star point guard told 247 Sports on Monday that he has completed the academic work required to reclassify and will enroll at Indiana for the upcoming fall semester. With Lander’s addition, IU’s four-man 2020 signing class is ranked 13th nationally and second in the Big Ten, per 247 Sports. Considered the No. 17 recruit in the country, Lander is also the only five-star recruit entering the conference next season.

“I knew when I first saw Khristian at 15 years old that he was a special player,” IU coach Archie Miller said in a statement. “He has great feel for the point guard position. His competitive drive has pushed him to elevate his game rapidly and his family has done a great job of keeping him grounded and humble.”

The 6-foot-2, 165-pound Evansville native played with fellow IU signees Anthony Leal and Trey Galloway last summer on the Indiana Elite club team. He originally committed to Indiana on Feb. 25 as a member of the 2021 class, while also making it known he’d like to join IU’s program sooner, if he could.

Now, he will.

“He cares a great deal about his teammates and winning,” Miller said. “It speaks volumes about him wanting this opportunity now and bypassing all of the HS accolades and opportunities he has in front of him to enjoy like most want so often.”