Craig Brackins and Marquis Gilstrap are grabbing all of the headlines right now, as the Iowa State men’s basketball team is prepping for their 2009 season.
I’ve been asked a couple times now who I think might surprise Cyclone fans this winter. Who could that one wildcard be?
Enter Scott Christopherson into the picture. I did a one-on-one interview with Scott during media day and the young man’s work ethic just blew me away.
Christopherson, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound sophomore could be that guy Iowa State needs to knock down a big 3-pointer at the end of games.
Christopherson sat out last year after transferring from Marquette. He’s a raw talent, especially when it comes to shooting the basketball. Did you forget that he was named Mr. Basketball in Wisconsion during his senior year of high school? As a senior,Rivals.com ranked him as the nations 27th-best point guard coming out of LaCrosse Aquinas High School.
Christopherson might not be the best player on Iowa State’s team, but he could be the most popular by the end of the season. He’s a tough kid not to like.
Here’s the conversation that I had with him.
CF: Describe your feelings heading into this year.
SC: It’s a really exciting thing for the entire program. I think that we are all heading in the right direction. I am excited for our team. I think that some great things are going to happen for us this year.
CF: Do you feel like you had a good off-season personally?
SC: I feel like I definitely had a good off-season. I am in great shape and we all worked really hard. I’m ready to get it going.
CF: Coach McDermott said that you’ve been making a lot of shots. Is this the best you’ve felt as a shooter in your life?
SC: Yeah. I’ve definitely put a lot of work in on my own. I am happy with where I am at as far as shooting the ball. I am always going to look to get into the gym as much as possible. I take a lot of pride in how hard I work. That’s something that I will continue to do.
CF: You and Lucca (Staiger) are known as the shooters. Do you two push each other?
SC: I definitely think that there is a competitive thing there. We’re always trying to one up each other as far as shooting the ball goes. I try to bring a lot more things to the table than just shooting the basketball. It is something that I’m good at but I want to become a very good defender. I feel like I’ve really come a long way with my ball handling. I am trying to become as complete of a player as I can. I want to bring as many things to this team as I possibly can.
CF: Where are you at defensively right now compared to a year ago?
SC: I am way ahead of where I was compared to when I first got here. Every year of college, I have improved more than I thought I would on the defensive end. That’s something that Coach Mac takes very seriously. I understand how important it is to our team. I think it is something that I can bring to this team.
