Brandon Gardner commits to St. John’s over Georgetown, Auburn, others

St. John’s lands another well-regarded player in what may be a banner year for the raising the men’s basketball talent.

Brandon Gardner, a 6’7”, 210 pound bouncy wing, committed to St. John’s this morning after weeks of speculation that he was a St. John’s lean.

The player, who is from Georgia and moved to schools in South Carolina and North Carolina for more opportunity, also considered LSU, Auburn, and Georgetown; he previously has interest from Georgia Tech, Kansas and others. Gardner is in the top-100 in ESPN and 247 Sports’ composite rankings.

Van Macon was the lead recruiter.

Gardner currently plays at Word of God Academy in North Carolina, after playing at South Carolina’s Gray Collegiate Academy; per the NY Post, Gardner may play his last year of high school ball in New York.

Gardner has been described as “a blue-collar worker who goes 110% every time he steps on the floor... a two-way player who excels in protecting the rim and is a nightmare in transition or with a head of steam going to the basket.” His individual defense stands out,

He told another Rivals reporter that the staff told him he would be a unique threat in the fast paced-attack; and he noted that the sponsorship/ NIL opportunities in New York could be excellent.

Mike Anderson has brought in talent that her feels fits his system, but also talent that comes in with high national regard like incoming top-100 wing AJ Storr, who will be a freshman this season. Along with transfers Andre Curbelo and David Jones, who will be impact players, the roster will have notable athleticism — hopefully enough to give the team a reasonable shot at the top of the league and multiple NCAA Tournament trips in the coming seasons.

Highlight reel for Brandon Gardner

Updated scholarship chart

Norman Rose