Top-100 recruit will visit Dayton next week

In an interview with ProspectiveInsight.com in June, Gardner talked about what he’s looking for in a program.

“I’m looking for a good fanbase, people that are gonna support me,” he said. Also a coach that I can trust and devote my time to, that’s gonna believe in me and not take me out for little mistakes. Also just a good team that functions on and off the court.”

Gardner is the son of Jelani Gardner, a McDonald’s All-American in 1994 who played at California and Pepperdine. Jelani played professional basketball in France in the early 2000s at the same time as Dayton assistant coach Ricardo Greer.

Gardner attended Los Altos High School, near San Jose, Calif., last year but is transferring to West Ranch High School in Santa Clarita, his dad announced in May.

As a junior, Gardner averaged 19 points and 13 rebounds for a team that finished 26-7.

Dayton has not received a commitment from a member of the 2023 class. It’s too early to tell how many scholarships Dayton will have open in 2023. It has one open for the 2022-23 season. All 12 players on the current roster will still have eligibility in the 2023-24 season.