Jazz Gardner is one of the top available centers in the 2023 NCAA Basketball recruiting class. Which of the four teams in play makes the most sense?
Jazz Gardner is one of the top NCAA Basketball frontcourt prospects out west, originally coming from the state of California. He’s a true center, listed at around 7’0 and 220 pounds. He’s a legit defender with a solid post-game and projects to be a power conference-caliber starter at the next level.
After a quiet recruitment, Gardner seems to have updated his list of options, down to a final four. Which of them makes the most sense for the four-star prospect? Here’s a closer look.
🚨NEWS: 4⭐️ Jazz Gardner has cut his list to 4️⃣
— Tobias Bass (@tobias_bass) May 1, 2023
Florida State
San Francisco
Ole Miss
Nevada
Gardner at 7”1 can score on all three levels and protects the rim. Does a lot of his work in the post with a variety of moves
Recently won MVP of the Iverson Classic on the west coast… pic.twitter.com/WzRiekoBL2
Florida State Seminoles
The lack of frontcourt depth killed the Seminoles last season and without 7’4 big man Naheem McLeod, they’re in need of another body. Coach Leonard Hamilton always utilizes his depth so it makes complete sense to try and add Gardner, who would be a future starter for the program. The concern is whether or not Coach Hamilton will even be around a year from now if FSU has another rough year since he is getting up there in age.
San Francisco Dons
The Dons are not only losing their top two scoring guards from this past season but they’ll be without Zane Meeks as well. On a team with some frontcourt depth, Meeks was the only offensive threat of the group, averaging 10.9 ppg and 5.1 rpg. The thing is the team still has Saba Gigiberia and Volodymyr Markovetskyy on the roster but Gardner would be an upgrade on both ends and likely start. The question is would he want to play for a likely mid-tier WCC program with no realistic at-large hope?
Ole Miss Rebels
New head coach Chris Beard has slowly built up his frontcourt, including most recently, landing 7’5 transfer center Jamarion Sharp from Western Kentucky. The team also has a pair of four-star bigs on the roster, Cameron Barnes and Rashaud Marshall. Gardner could get a backup role as a freshman behind Sharp but there’s no telling who Beard, who tends to land a few transfers from the portal, tries to get a year from now.
Nevada Wolf Pack
The Wolf Pack is another team in need of a big man, having lost Will Baker to LSU via the transfer portal. To this point, the only frontcourt player the program added was Jeriah Coleman, a 7’0 big man that’s a former JUCO and D-II player, without any D-I experience.
Of all the teams, Nevada is the one where Jazz Gardner could start Day 1 and have a sizeable role. And with the program being out west, that’s also a solid selling point for them as well. And with star guard Jarod Lucas coming back for one more year, he could be joining a contender in