The Illinois basketball team hit the recruiting trail on Tuesday afternoon when they offered a scholarship to Khristian Lander.
Lander is a 5-foot-11, 150-pound point guard from Reitz Memorial High School in Evansville, Indiana. He isn’t ranked or rated by the recruiting sites yet because he is from the class of 2021, but this kid has the potential to be a pretty good player. Illinois was also his first scholarship offer as well.
Blessed to receive a offer from Coach Underwood and the University of Illinois🔶🔷 pic.twitter.com/MTUuNXzDzA
— Khristian Lander (@khristianlander) August 1, 2018
The offer by the Illini is great considering what Lander brings to the table. This kid really reminds me of what Trent Frazier was coming out of the high school level for many reasons.
I really like Lander’s ability to navigate the defense and penetrate. He can get into the lane for a tough layup or have the defense double team him and then dish the ball out for a three-pointer. His shooting ability is on point from anywhere on the floor as well. Like I mentioned, he is good at getting to the basket but can also step back and nail a shot from deep.
The Frazier comparison comes from everything I mentioned above. In addition to those attributes mentioned, Lander and Frazier both share that spark and drive. They bring a high energy to the basketball court that isn’t easily matched. I also like the fact they are both southpaw’s too.
You really can’t look at the roster today and say who is going to be on it in 2021. Clearly, there will be room for Lander to come in and start day one. The only guard on the team this upcoming season who might be on the roster come 2021 is Alan Griffin, and he doesn’t play the same role as Lander would.
Brad Underwood and Company is smart getting in early on Lander’s recruitment. This kid is going to be pretty good. I think he will open in the top 100. Hopefully, they can continue working on him and get him to commit to the program down the road.