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Scott Christopherson hasn’t traded in his basketball for boxing gloves, but he’s using both to prepare him for the basketball rigors that await him at Marquette University.
“I’ve heard a lot of people that do it, and it’s a good cross-training thing,” the Aquinas senior said of boxing workouts he started last week. “It’s really supposed to help your explosiveness and core strength.”
Those are two things Christopherson knows will be important if he wants to make an impact with the Golden Eagles.
Christopherson has spent four varsity seasons making an impact in the Coulee Region, and he ends his career as the Tribune Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
He was the area’s most prolific scorer and best all-around player this season (22.3 points per game). He helped the Blugolds (26-1) win the MVC and place second at the WIAA Division 3 state tournament.
The 6-foot-2 guard now prepares for his next basketball career by throwing punches for 45 minutes at a time.
Working out at Nicklaus’ Martian Arts Academy in La Crosse, Christopherson concentrates mainly on throwing different punching combinations and footwork.
He hopes the precision footwork and extra strength will help him get around the screens intended to get him open jump shots at Marquette.
Christopherson, who scored 1,906 career points at Melrose-Mindoro and then Aquinas, will leave for school sometime in June and begin his coursework immediately. He’ll also get more familiar with his future teammates.
“That way, I can still graduate on time,” Christopherson said. “Plus, I have to get there and start playing with those guys anyway.”
What makes Christopherson great?
First step/crossover
Defending Scott Christopherson could be considered a challenge, but it could hardly be considered fun.
His shooting range extends well beyond the 3-point line — plenty of opponents can testify to that — but he can beat you to the lane just as easily. And he’ll blow by you in the blink of an eye.
“He’s a great athlete, and I think people underestimate how athletic he is,” Central coach Todd Fergot said.
As well as Racine St. Catherine’s guard Patrick Souter defended Christopherson in the Division 3 state championship game, he couldn’t stop him from getting shots.
“I’ve not seen anything like it on the the high school level,” Fergot said. “On the college level, yeah, but boy oh boy, is he quick.”
Selflessness
Some people will watch Christopherson play and talk about how many shots he takes. Others will recognize how involved his teammates are and the role he plays in that.
Aquinas (26-1) succeeded this season because it wasn’t a one-man show, although one player was going to be at the heart of its success no matter what. Christopherson could set up Zach Rickaway or Ryan Fahey for an easy basket under the hoop just as easily as he could nail a 20-foot jump shot.
“The big difference from his junior year to his senior year, I think, is that he made his teammates so much better,” Logan coach Jeff Axness said. “He did a great job of breaking down defenses and finding guys for open shots.”
Pure shooting touch
From the power in his legs to the extension of his arms to his follow-through, Christopherson has textbook shooting form.
He releases the ball at his highest point in the air, it sails toward the basket and swishes through the net. Christopherson, with the coaching help of his father, Dale, a former college
player, makes it all look so smooth and effortless.
“I’ve never seen someone get a shot off so quickly, particularly on a pull-up,” Axness said. “He can dribble at full speed, stop on a dime and hit the shot. That puts you in such a tough spot (as a defender).”
That isn’t easy to do, and it can be credited to long hours of shooting over the course of years.
“I couldn’t begin to guess at the amount of shots that guy’s taken,” Aquinas coach Rick Schneider said. “He’s always, always, always working on his shot.”
The right competition
Christopherson has spent summers all over the country — for weekends at a time anyway — on the AAU circuit.
He built his national reputation as a member of the Fox Valley Skillz program before opting to play with friends locally last summer. It was during his time with the Skillz, however, that had him playing against the country’s best players on a regular basis.
“He played against great competition and against great players and had success doing so,” Schneider said. “It’s one thing to dominate average competition, but it’s another to play against great players and have success.
“It takes your confidence to another level.”
— Todd Sommerfeldt, La Crosse Tribune
