Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Utah on February 24, 2026 , Win , 75, to, 59
Final
Men's Basketball
75
Utah
59
Iowa State University Athletics
Christopherson Will Provide Leadership
08.25.2011 | Men's Basketball
AMES, Iowa - The Iowa State men's basketball team, fresh off a successful four-game tour of Italy, officially began its 2011-12 season with the first day of the fall semester on Monday.
The Cyclones were extremely busy in the summer by participating in the Capital City League and with their 10-day tour of Italy. It came as no surprise that senior Scott Christopherson remained as one of the Cyclones' top performers in the off-season.
A native of LaCrosse, Wis., Christopherson was named MVP of the Capital City League and led all Cyclones in scoring in Italy, averaging 13.8 points.
The seasoned veteran on the Iowa State squad, Christopherson is entering his fourth season in Ames after transferring from Marquette. The sharpshooter has been a staple in the Iowa State lineup after earning the starting nod in the latter half of his sophomore season (2009-10).
Since then, Christopherson has proved to be one of the best long-range gunners in the nation. He's drilled 131 treys the last two years, including 86 in 2010-11, the fifth-best single-season total in Iowa State history. He currently is Iowa State's all-time career leader in 3-point percentage (43.7 percent) and his active streak of 34-straight games with a made 3-pointer is best in school history.
An All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honoree last year, Christopherson is one of nine returning players in the Big 12 to have earned all-conference recognition.
Christopherson recently sat down with cyclones.com to discuss the Italy trip, expectations for next year and his emerging role as senior leader.
Cyclones.com: Overall, were you satisfied with the trip to Italy?
SC: This is the second trip like this that I've been on. I think the biggest thing we got out of it was the 10 extra practices leading up to the trip. We are 10 practices ahead of where we would be on October 15th. For a lot of the new guys, that was huge. We had an intrasquad scrimmage, so the coaches got to see us in that. Obviously, it's just practice, so some things are going to get better with time. I think it gave both the players and coaches kind of an insight as to what practice is going to be like and where everyone is at.
Cyclones.com: You return as one of the best shooters in the league and you are surrounded by outstanding shooters on your team. How excited are you to know that there are other guys on the team that can make shots just like you?
SC: It just takes a lot of pressure off of me, but it doesn't change my expectations. When you've only got one or two guys that can stretch the floor, then the defense can really focus on you. Now we've got a couple more shooters, and it's going to make it really hard on the other team's defense. Another thing it's going to do is make it easier to put the ball on the floor and get to the basket because when you're playing with guys that don't necessarily have a shooter's reputation and you're driving to the basket, the defense is a lot more likely to work off of them. Now, when they put a lot of pressure on you, you just make a simple pass and know someone is going to be able to make a good shot.
Cyclones.com: How versatile do you see the offense being next year?
SC: We have a dynamic player in Royce White, who can handle the ball very well. The way he can throw in a pass from the perimeter, and with the type of screens he can set with his body, I think it's going to give us a lot of flexibility and versatility on the offensive end. I think the biggest thing for us is going to be understanding that we can't have a lot of empty possessions and knowing that we can't just be perimeter shooters. You don't want to just live outside of the three-point line. We need to play inside-out. We need to throw the ball down to the post and we have some guys that we can do that with. We need to drive the ball to the basket and we have guys that can do that too. Once the defense collapses on that, then you're getting inside-out three-point shots. That's where your percentages are going to be the highest.
Cyclones.com: You ran the point a little in Italy. Are you ready for that challenge?
SC: I'm very excited about that. Obviously the last couple years with Diante here, he played that role well with his ball handling abilities. So, it wasn't really something I was asked to do a lot of. Now this year, I'm really excited about the chance to play that, because I think that's a part of my game that I haven't really gotten to show very much. When you've got a team with the type of shooting that we've got, I think playing point guard should be a lot of fun.
Cyclones.com: How excited are you to be entering your senior year?
SC: I always wanted to be a college basketball player more than I ever wanted to play professionally. I really want to play in the NCAA Tournament and hopefully we can have the type of season where we get the opportunity to do that. Being a senior leader, and hopefully a captain and a few other things, are finally all just falling into place. I'm excited to get to work and I think we should all be excited. However, success isn't going to happen without a lot of really hard work.
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