Elite 2023 Forward Brandon Gardner Stars On and Off the Court

Gardner made SI's list of prospects who raised their stock after a breakout summer.

Brandon Gardner isn’t atypical of most high level high school basketball stars who remain vigilante in their pursuit of the top tier of national rankings in hopes of solidifying their stature as one of the top players in the country.

What separates Gardner is that he applies the same energy in the classroom, boasting a 4.2 GPA, good enough for him to rank in the top five of the 2023 class at Gray Collegiate (Columbia, S.C.).

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“I want to be the best player in the country, of course,” Gardner said. “But I’m a student athlete, so I want to be the best student too. I just want younger kids to look up to me for my academics too, not just what I do on the court.”

That’s no easy feat for a walking dunk highlight of a player like Gardner.

“I just play hard and the rest takes care of itself,” Gardner said. “Just like I work hard in the gym, I work hard studying. I eventually want to go into computer engineering. Of course, I want to play in the NBA, so I have work to do to achieve both.”

Last season, Gardner showed promise in his freshman campaign, averaging seven points, eight rebounds and two blocks a game while playing the support role to upperclassmen on a state championship team.

He followed that up with a breakout summer, more than doubling his points per game average (15) plus 11 rebounds and four blocks a game.

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That was good enough to make Sports Illustrated’s list of players who managed to raise their stock despite the pandemic.

“I just had a different mentality this summer, and that was to play every game like it was my last,” Gardner said. “I just wanted to go out there and kill everybody this summer.”

Seems spot-on for a player who patterns his game after Giannis Antetokounmpo, who recently won his second consecutive NBA MVP award.

“I think what separates me is that I have the mindset that it all starts with defense,” Gardner said. “I really want to block every shot and I want to get every rebound. Then on offense, I’m gonna dunk on you and I’m probably gonna let you know about it a little too. I just play with a high motor and I like to have fun out there. I love the game.”

The list of colleges that share the same affirmation for Gardner’s game grows by the week; Georgetown, Wake Forest, Illinois, Wichita State, Clemson, Winthrop, SC-Upstate, South Carolina State, Ole Miss and many others have either offered or have growing interest.

The spike in production and interest has only intensified Gardner’s excitement about what he feels will be his breakout high school season.

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“I’m going to averaged 15 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks this season,” Gardner said. “It will be harder because I’ve gotten a lot of attention after this season and I know that will make the target bigger on me.”

To combat that, Gardner said he’ll approach the game with the same hunger he had as an unknown prospect hoping for offers.

“I look at it like I don’t have any offers and I always feel underrated,” Gardner said. “All of this just means the work has to get harder for me. It’s the same thing I do in the classroom with a tough test. I love the process though, that’s the best part for me.”