Prospect Spotlight: Jayden Gardner (2018)
Heritage High School in the town of Wake Forest is home to two of the top 2018 prospects in North Carolina. 6-foot-2 shooting guard Jarren McAllister and 6-foot-6 small forward Jayden Gardner are the tandem at Heritage High School that…
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Continue ReadingHeritage High School in the town of Wake Forest is home to two of the top 2018 prospects in North Carolina. 6-foot-2 shooting guard Jarren McAllister and 6-foot-6 small forward Jayden Gardner are the tandem at Heritage High School that have helped make the Huskies one of the best teams in the state. McAllister has committed to play for Buzz Williams at Virginia Tech and Gardner is piling up the offers.
6-6 junior Jayden GardnerGardner is a long small forward and gets after it on both ends of the floor. He uses his length to disrupt passing lanes and block shots. It will not come as a shock that he averaged 20 points and over 10 rebounds per game this past season for Heritage High School. The Huskies finished 21-8 overall and a 10-4 record in the CAP-8 4-A Conference which was good enough for second place behind Millbrook High School. A loss to Leesville Road High School in the second round of NCHSAA 4-A state playoffs would end their season. At the seasons end, Gardner was the Co-CAP 8 Conference Player of the Year and was named 2nd Team District 5 by the NCBCA.
VCU, College of Charleston, Penn State, Old Dominion, Richmond, Grambling State and James Madison have all been recruiting and offered the swing-man. One part of his game that coaches really fell for was his non-stop motor. He is a player that gives his all until the final buzzer. His game is transitioning well to playing more on the wing instead of in the paint with his skill-set advancing. He is an aggressive rebounder, he has a soft touch around the rim, he has a good enough handle at his size to get into the paint from the perimeter and can play with his back to the basket. It will be interesting to watch as his recruitment will only pick up over the next two years.