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
Iowa State's Hot Shot: Scott Christopherson
01.18.2012 | Men's Basketball
AMES, Iowa- Scott Christopherson keeps on making shots. It's not a shock, though. It's what the senior sharpshooter was brought in to do when he transferred to Iowa State in 2008-09 from Marquette.
A native of LaCrosse, Wis., Christopherson is one of the greatest shooters in Iowa State men's basketball history. His percentages prove that. Nobody in the history of the Cyclone basketball program has shot more 3-pointers at a better rate than Christopherson. He currently ranks No. 1 in school history at 43.4 percent from beyond the arc, ranking fourth all-time in 3-pointers made with 161.
As a free-throw shooter, he's just as dependable. He recently met the required minimum to qualify for Iowa State's career percentage totals at the charity stripe. He is connecting on 84.0 percent (105-125 FT) of his shots at the free-throw line to rank fifth all-time in school history.
Christopherson's tremendous work ethic has been well documented. If you see the lights on at the Sukup Basketball Complex in the evening, chances are Christopherson is in there. He would be the first to tell you his achievements didn't come by accident.
"When I was a freshman at Marquette, I had a coach who told me to watch one of Steve Novak's first NBA games," Christopherson recalled. "He was subbed into the game, came in with one second to go and knocked down the game-winning 3-point shot. As we were watching it, my coach said, 'he earned the right to make that shot,' and that's something I've always believed in. You earn the right to be a good shooter and that comes from practice. That's where I get a lot of my confidence from, the repetition. When you've put the time and work in, you expect to make shots and it's important to have that confidence, because if you don't, it's tough to be a good shooter."
After sitting out his first season in Ames in 2008-09, Christopherson was eager to contribute to the Cyclone fortunes in 2009-10. Unfortunately, Christopherson was playing behind Lucca Staiger at the two-guard slot and was primarily used as a reserve. But Staiger abruptly quit in the middle of the season and Christopherson seized the moment. The sharpshooter received his first start at Texas Tech (Jan. 20, 2010), going 3-for-6 from 3-point range. He's had a stranglehold on the shooting guard spot ever since, starting 63 of ISU's last 64 games.
"I worked my whole life to get to that point and the opportunity came about and no one was taking that from me," Christopherson said. "I had to make the most of that opportunity. It was a little frustrating when I first got here, but I stayed after it and stuck true to my work ethic. You just have to have faith that God has a plan and everything works out for a reason."
Christopherson has had some bumps in the road during his Cyclone career. He's had two surgeries on his right knee, surgery on his shooting elbow and battled mono in his sophomore season. But the positives have far outweighed the negative. He is the school-record holder for consecutive games with a 3-pointer made with 35. He also will be remembered for scoring 30 and 16 points, respectively, in back-to-back wins over intrastate rival Iowa.
For now, Christopherson is not thinking about his records and achievements. He has other items on his mind.
"When I'm done playing here the records will be something I can look back on and take a lot of pride in, but right now the biggest thing is trying to get some wins in the league so we can get to the NCAA Tournament."
A native of LaCrosse, Wis., Christopherson is one of the greatest shooters in Iowa State men's basketball history. His percentages prove that. Nobody in the history of the Cyclone basketball program has shot more 3-pointers at a better rate than Christopherson. He currently ranks No. 1 in school history at 43.4 percent from beyond the arc, ranking fourth all-time in 3-pointers made with 161.
As a free-throw shooter, he's just as dependable. He recently met the required minimum to qualify for Iowa State's career percentage totals at the charity stripe. He is connecting on 84.0 percent (105-125 FT) of his shots at the free-throw line to rank fifth all-time in school history.
Christopherson's tremendous work ethic has been well documented. If you see the lights on at the Sukup Basketball Complex in the evening, chances are Christopherson is in there. He would be the first to tell you his achievements didn't come by accident.
"When I was a freshman at Marquette, I had a coach who told me to watch one of Steve Novak's first NBA games," Christopherson recalled. "He was subbed into the game, came in with one second to go and knocked down the game-winning 3-point shot. As we were watching it, my coach said, 'he earned the right to make that shot,' and that's something I've always believed in. You earn the right to be a good shooter and that comes from practice. That's where I get a lot of my confidence from, the repetition. When you've put the time and work in, you expect to make shots and it's important to have that confidence, because if you don't, it's tough to be a good shooter."
After sitting out his first season in Ames in 2008-09, Christopherson was eager to contribute to the Cyclone fortunes in 2009-10. Unfortunately, Christopherson was playing behind Lucca Staiger at the two-guard slot and was primarily used as a reserve. But Staiger abruptly quit in the middle of the season and Christopherson seized the moment. The sharpshooter received his first start at Texas Tech (Jan. 20, 2010), going 3-for-6 from 3-point range. He's had a stranglehold on the shooting guard spot ever since, starting 63 of ISU's last 64 games.
"I worked my whole life to get to that point and the opportunity came about and no one was taking that from me," Christopherson said. "I had to make the most of that opportunity. It was a little frustrating when I first got here, but I stayed after it and stuck true to my work ethic. You just have to have faith that God has a plan and everything works out for a reason."
Christopherson has had some bumps in the road during his Cyclone career. He's had two surgeries on his right knee, surgery on his shooting elbow and battled mono in his sophomore season. But the positives have far outweighed the negative. He is the school-record holder for consecutive games with a 3-pointer made with 35. He also will be remembered for scoring 30 and 16 points, respectively, in back-to-back wins over intrastate rival Iowa.
For now, Christopherson is not thinking about his records and achievements. He has other items on his mind.
"When I'm done playing here the records will be something I can look back on and take a lot of pride in, but right now the biggest thing is trying to get some wins in the league so we can get to the NCAA Tournament."
Players Mentioned
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