NCAA Basketball: Breaking down the 5 finalists for transfer Jayden Gardner
By Matt Melton
The NCAA Basketball Transfer Portal has been as crazy as expected so far this offseason with numerous top names and players announcing their intentions to transfer along with potential destinations and decisions all happening daily. These players come from all schools and conferences, and include not only players looking for a situation to “break-out,” but also a few stars as well. This “player” can certainly be considered a star as one of the transfer portal’s top players Jayden Gardner is nearing a decision.
Jayden Gardner recently announced a “Final Five” list that included Arkansas, LSU, Miami, NC State, and Virginia. While only one team will land his commitment, the one who does will be getting one of the top transfers of the offseason and an immediate experienced and impact starter.
Gardner has been an impact player from day one at East Carolina. Gardner started in 61 of 62 games during his first two seasons with the Pirates where he averaged 16.3 PPG during his freshman season and 19.7 PPG during his sophomore season. Gardner also averaged 18.3 PPG and 8.3 RPG during the 2020 season. If there is one word to describe Gardner’s game and impact, it’s consistent.
Gardner is just a flat-out consistent scorer and rebounder. Looking at his 3-year career with East Carolina, Gardner averaged 18 PPG and 8.7 RPG on 51% shooting from the field during his three seasons. Also starting 79 of 81 career games, Gardner is consistent with his availability and production which makes him a top transfer target, and one of the top available players in the transfer portal.
Gardner has also won numerous awards throughout his time at East Carolina including First and Second-Team All-AAC, as well as AAC All-Freshman Team during the 2018-2019 season. Odds are if you were to look at the stat leaders from the AAC the past three seasons, you would find Gardner’s name near the top in a majority of the categories.
It’s clear why Gardner is so highly sought after this offseason. Let’s take a look at the five finalists to land one of the top available transfers of the offseason, as well as break down how he would fit in with each team next season.