How an uncommon redshirt helped Santa Clara transfer Christian Hammond turn into NC State’s first portal target

After impressing in offseason workouts and seemingly performing well in Santa Clara’s closed-door scrimmages, Christian Hammond believed he was trending in the right direction ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.  He was coming off an injury-riddled freshman year that limited him to just 3.7 points and 1.7 rebounds in 12.4 minutes across 19 minutes the season prior. But after putting positive efforts together ahead of his second collegiate season, Hammond felt like he was primed for a bigger role. That was until Broncos coach Herb Sendek sat Hammond down with a decision for his young shooting guard to make just ahead of the season starting. He could either elect to play, but sit behind a pair of standout guards – Adama-Alpha Bal and Carlos Stewart Jr. — that were going to take most of the time on the floor, or he could elect to redshirt to focus on his own development.