Indiana Basketball: Is Khristian Lander a must get in the 2021 class?

The 2021 class is an extremely important one for the Indiana basketball program  and there is one guard in particular that is nearly a must land.

Archie Miller and staff have been in full gear recruiting the 2020 class but the 2021 class is just as important, if not more, than this upcoming year for Indiana basketball.

Every college basketball fan knows the importance of having good guards, especially come March and early April, and that is exactly what Indiana is looking for in the next two recruiting classes.

While the Hoosiers are strongly recruiting Caleb Love in the 2020 class, there is another point guard in a future class that I think is more of a must have player than Love.

Khristian Lander of Francis Joseph Reitz School is a terrific talent out of the 2021 class. Currently he is ranked No. 14 in the 247Sports rankings and is the best point guard in the country. Lander has already been on campus multiple times and has been a top priority for the staff for the past year, but his importance cannot be stressed enough.

Though it is a long way from over in Caleb Love’s recruitment, and despite Indiana being heavily involved, it just doesn’t seem like a recruitment that they will win, especially over some of the big Blue Blood schools involved.

If that is the case, and the Hoosiers lose out on Love, they will most likely end the 2020 class without securing a commitment from a point guard. While they could have a couple of combo guard commitments, every team needs a true point guard.

That’s what makes Lander’s recruitment so important when it pertains to the Indiana program moving forward.

Devonte Green will be gone after this year, and Rob Phinisee will be a senior in 2021 leaving a lot of space in the backcourt at the lead guard position. Though most five-star guards usually go to programs to start immediately, there is no saying that a Phinisee-Lander backcourt couldn’t exist. Either way, Lander would get significant minutes being the only other point guard on the roster.

At 6-foot-1, Lander isn’t going to blow you away with his size, but it’s his length that makes him that much better than other guards. His ability to put pressure on opposing guards is crucial in an Indiana defense that has been better and better under Miller. A decent shooter, Lander also has the quickness to get in the lane and finish through contact.

His ability to create for teammates combined with his scoring ability makes him a must land for the Indiana program.

Playing an age group older on the Adidas Gauntlet AAU circuit, Lander averaged 10.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.

On that same AAU team is two current Indiana targets for the 2020 class, Anthony Leal and Trey Galloway. If one domino falls, it could mean all three end up in Bloomington.

Indiana was one of the first schools to get involved in his recruitment, but also high on Lander’s list includes Louisville, who just recently offered, Purdue, Kansas, and Ohio State, amongst others.

The Hoosiers have not had a five-star point guard on the roster since Yogi Ferrell, so Lander would be the point guard of the future for Archie Miller, and needs to be.