Pangos All-South Frosh/Soph Camp: Gardner reps Cali in Texas
DUNCANVILLE, TX – The player making the longest journey to the Pangos South All-Frosh/Soph Camp last weekend made sure the trek was worth it. Six-foot-nine Jazz Gardner – at freshman at Damien High in the Southern California community…
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Continue ReadingDUNCANVILLE, TX – The player making the longest journey to the Pangos South All-Frosh/Soph Camp last weekend made sure the trek was worth it.
Six-foot-nine Jazz Gardner – at freshman at Damien High in the Southern California community of Verne – was the only California resident among the 220 or so players in the camp that was held Saturday and Sunday at the Duncanville Fieldhouse.
And he made short work – three camp games and a stint in the Top 30 All-Star game on Sunday afternoon – in showing why he’s one of the best prospects from the California Class of 2023.
Gardner – whose father, Jelani Gardner, was a 1994 McDonald’s All-American at Bellflower St. John Bosco and played at Cal and Pepperdine and, professionally, overseas – was rehabbing his right shoulder and wasn’t cleared to play during the Sept. 21&22 Pangos West All-Frosh/Soph Camp
But he made up for that lost weekend, taking advantage of the Texas platform that provided even more gifted players with comparable size than he would have faced in SoCal a few weeks ago at Pangos Frosh/Soph Session I.
Gardner – already about four inches taller than his pops – showed off plenty of offensive panache, both from the perimeter and low post.
And, despite still being a “wiry” 190 pounds or so, Gardner rebounded strongly and was rarely pushed around in the lane.
Gardner, a member of the Compton Magic club program, is expected to get plenty of playing time for a Mike LeDuc-coached Spartans team that should be among Southern California’s best.
Damien is hosting the fourth Classic at Damien (Dec. 26-30) which, with the strongest group of teams and college prospects of any post-Christmas tournament in the country (notably including Sierra Canyon and Evan Mobley-led Rancho Christian, as well as Etiwanda and Windward)