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Jan. 7—Christian Hammond committed to Santa Clara in October of 2022. The 6-foot-4 guard officially joined Herb Sendek's program in 2023-24, but injuries limited him to only 19 games as a freshman. With a deep group of guards and wings on Santa Clara's roster in 2024-25, extended playing time appeared unlikely for Hammond, so the Colorado native elected to redshirt, chalking the decision up to "me just doing my part."
"They told me it was going to benefit me and it was up to me if I was going to make it worth it or not," Hammond said on the Unofficial WCC Podcast.
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One quick glance at the guard's statistics in 2025-26 and it appears the decision was a worthwhile one.
Hammond is the Broncos' top scorer, averaging 17.0 points on solid efficiency numbers. More than three years removed from signing at Santa Clara, the redshirt sophomore will finally get his first crack at Gonzaga, likely as the top player on the Zags' scouting ahead of Thursday's 8:30 p.m. (ESPN2) game in Spokane.
Hammond got to see a handful of WCC teams as a freshman, but he didn't appear in either of Santa Clara's games against the Zags, watching from the bench when the Broncos stunned Mark Few's team at the Leavey Center. As a redshirt, Hammond didn't have a chance to experience Santa Clara's visit to Spokane last season — a memorable trip that culminated with a 103-99 win for the Broncos.
If Santa Clara can pull off a third win in as many seasons against Gonzaga, Hammond will likely be playing a central role.
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The guard has already scored at least 20 points on seven occasions and, despite playing under the weather, was Santa Clara's top scorer with 21 points on 9 of 13 during the team's 98-70 win over San Diego on Sunday.
"Christian showed a lot of heart, he's been sick the last couple days," Sendek said after the San Diego game. "A lot of guys wouldn't have played tonight. Not only did he play, but gave us a stellar performance as did so many other guys."
Hammond's a three-level scorer who's making 50% of his shots from the field, 41.4% from the 3-point line and 78.3% from the free throw line. He's also averaging 3.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals in his first season as a full-time starter for Santa Clara.
Hammond's brother, Julian, currently plays at Colorado and his mother and father both played collegiately, at Cal Poly and Loyola Marymount.
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There are a number of key matchups in Thursday's game against a high-scoring Santa Clara team, but probably none important than Hammond. Anymore, it's difficult to predict who'll be in Gonzaga's starting five, but Adam Miller, Tyon Grant-Foster, Emmanuel Innocenti, Jalen Warley and Steele Venters all possess the length and size to guard Hammond.
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