Recruiting Report: Kris Gardner (2019)
There seems to be a trend with division one schools still needing a point guard in the 2019 class, and if you’re in that boat Hargrave Military Academy has two very different guys who are capable of playing at that level. There’s 6’0″ Giovanni Santiago, a native of Puerto Rico who’s an old school, pass-first lead guard that runs a team. Then there’s 6’2″ Kris Gardner from South Georgia, who’s more of a new school scoring guard who can play either guard position.
When I went to the Hargrave stop of the first annual Military Circuit, both of them stood out, but Gardner’s physical size and strength was something that stood out for me. While he isn’t a true point guard, he’s very strong with the basketball, is able to get to his spots and create space and is able to score from all over the floor.
While he’s a natural scorer, it’s been the improvement he has shown as a distributor and a leader, a guy who can get you into your sets yet still break someone down when things go wrong that has really changed the fifth year senior’s game.
“I would describe my game as a combo guard but me personally, I like playing point guard,” Gardner said. “I like to score the ball, but coach is really making me pass the ball and get players involved more and it’s rounding out my game.”
While I’ve had a number of schools talk to me about needing a point guard in 2019, St. Peter’s of the MAAC is Gardner’s only division one offer and he’s said they are recruiting him the hardest. His head coach mentioned Mercer, Merrimack and East Tennessee State as other division one programs that have been in contact with him as well.
With his college ready body and ability to play on both ends of the floor, Gardner believes he has the goods to come in and contribute to a college team immediately.
“My defense has picked up tremendously since my high school career, and I’m a natural scoring guard that you want on your team.”
His natural ability to score the basketball is something that you can see in Gardner as soon as he steps on the floor. He’s a confident guy with good strength and quickness and he has a mentality that’s wired to get after it. He’s a three level scorer with or without the ball in his hands, and once he hits a couple he’s coming right at you on every play.
His improvements in other areas aren’t just something that he came across at Hargrave though, as he’s had to really work at his game to fit in as a point guard on one of the most talented post grad teams in the country. According to Hargrave Head Coach Lee Martin, it’s his work ethic that really endeared him to teammates and the coaching staff from day one.
“Kris has been a great young man to work with here at Hargrave,” Martin said. “He works extremely hard on his game and it shows on the floor. He will be a huge asset to a college basketball team next year.”
If you’re one of the coaches reading this saying “I could really use a point guard next season,” I’m not sure what you’re waiting for. Hargrave is located in historic downtown Chatham, VA, and Gardner is one of a number of prospects there that will be ready to work hard and contribute to a college program immediately.