Cougar Forward Jon Christensen Gets Plenty of Recruiting Looks

Lakeville South’s Jon Christensen has found himself on several Most Wanted lists this season. No, the 6-foot-6 senior forward has not been in any trouble this year. However, he has attracted the interest of several Division II and III schools in the area with a strong senior year. Patch.com caught up with Christensen to learn the latest on his recruitment and expectations for the rest of the season.

Christensen is averaging 13.1 points per game, second best on the team, as the Cougars are 17-5 and in first place in the South Suburban Conference. He has scored in double figures in 16 of 22 games, including a season-high 25 points against two-time Class AAAA state champion Hopkins.

Lakeville Patch caught up with Christensen to learn the latest on his recruitment and hopes for the rest of the year.

What is the latest on school you are hearing from right now?

“Right now, I am hearing from Augsburg, UW-Stout, UW-River Falls, St. John’s and UMD.”

Have you had a chance to visit many of those schools?

“I have visited all of them so far.”

Do you have a favorite school yet or is it still too early?

“Not yet. It is kind of early. I’m starting to look at the schools more in-depth.”

What is going to be the reason that you pick School A over School B, C, D and E?

“I’ll probably go with my feeling. Whatever I like the best of where I can get both basketball and academics.”

Do you have a preference of staying in-state or going out-state, so your family and friends can come see you play? Is that a big factor?

“Not too far out of state. Wisconsin is not that bad, because they are really close. Not too far.”

How has the recruiting process been? Has it been fun to make you feel wanted? I know that the Wisconsin Rivers Fall head coach told me that you are their number one guy?

“It is kind of fun to hear all that stuff, but it gets a lot sometimes when you are trying to focus on your season and where you are going to go next season, school and senior year. It gets to be a lot sometimes.”

At the Apple Valley–Lakeville South game last month, there was seven different schools with coaches at the game. Do you notice them watching you?

“Not during the game, mostly after the game when I talk to them. I’m focused on the game.”

How about your team’s play? You had two tough losses early on and then won ten straight games. You’ve been playing pretty well, but have had some tough losses in perhaps the toughest conference in the state. How do you think that you are playing right now?

“I think that we are playing pretty good right now. We’ve had those tough couple of losses, but we bounced back each time. If we keep playing good, we could win the conference and maybe, hopefully, sections.

Eastview and Eagan lost this week, moving you into first place in the South Suburban Conference. You play both of those teams in the next two weeks, which figure to be big games.

“Yes. Those are going to be the deciding games in the conference, probably and where we get seeded in the section, which will hopefully help us.”

You have to play those teams in the sections, which might be the toughest section in the state. That puts on even more pressure because you could be a really good team and not make it to state because of the tough competition.

“You really have to be playing your best when you get to section, because you have four teams in Eagan,  Eastview, Apple Valley and us that all could probably go to state if they were in different sections, but we are all in the same section, so whoever is playing the best on a given night.”

How about your own individual play?

“I think that I have been playing pretty good. I think that I stepped it up a little bit from last year, both offensively and defensively. I’m working on getting as many rebounds a game as I can, so that is my main goal right now.”

You are on a very balanced team with four players that are going to be playing college basketball somewhere next year. Is it tough to standout on a team that has so many good players?

“Kind of, but not really. If one of us has an off night, we have four guys who are just as good and they might have a good night that night. I really think of it more as a team than as an individual and how I am doing.”

You, Riley West and Spencer Pankonin all play AAU basketball during the spring and summer together. Do you think that helps you a lot in terms of team chemistry?

“Yes, definitely, it helps us a lot. Us three have been playing together for a long time, including (Alex) Richter and a couple of other seniors that we have. We’ve been playing together since like sixth grade.”

Have you even talked about playing together in college?

“We have talked about it a little bit. Not a whole lot, but it would be nice. We already know each other so well, so continuing that would helps us a lot.”

Have you thought much about what you are going to major in at college?

“Right now, I am kind of interested in engineering, civil engineering.”

You must be a good student, then. What is your GPA?

“I’ve got a 3.6 right now.”

Did you take the ACT or SAT?

“I got a 22 on the ACT.”