Syracuse Basketball: Brandon Gardner ‘brings excitement level to 10’

Syracuse basketball has reached out regarding 2023 forward Brandon Gardner, a top-50 prospect in this recruiting cycle.

Brandon Gardner is an elite athlete and explosive player at the forward position within the 2023 class, according to several recruiting analysts and industry observers, which helps explain why Syracuse basketball has reached out and seems to have an interest in him.

Tre Jackson of Knowledge Hoops tweeted out that the Orange, DePaul and USC have all recently contacted Gardner’s coach. The 6-foot-7 Gardner, a small forward/power forward, is a sophomore at the Gray Collegiate Academy in West Columbia, S.C., and competes on the AAU circuit with The Skill Factory, an Atlanta-based group.

According to a review of various recruiting services, Gardner appears to hold 10 scholarship offers at this juncture, and they are from Georgetown, Clemson, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Illinois, South Carolina State, South Carolina Upstate, Wake Forest, Wichita State and Winthrop.

Although he’s not nationally rated by all the main recruiting Web sites for now, that should change. The recruiting service 247Sports slots him as a three-star prospect, No. 42 overall in the 2023 cycle, No. 9 at power forward and No. 3 in the state of South Carolina.

Syracuse basketball is inquiring about 2023 forward Brandon Gardner, a top-10 power forward in the 2023 class.

Travis Branham, an analyst with 247Sports, recently published a piece where he disclosed his top-11 prospects in the Southeast region in that recruiting service’s inaugural 2023 ratings. Gardner checks in at No. 11 on this list.

"Branham writes that “Gardner is an intriguing forward option out of the state of South Carolina. He possesses plus physical tools for the position and is an impressive athlete. At this stage, he functions more as a face-up four man on offense but has upside as a three as he develops his perimeter skills over the coming years. Given his physical tools, he also possesses high upside as a versatile defender and rebounder.”"

Jamie Shaw, a PalmettoPreps.com basketball insider, penned a column entitled, “Brandon Gardner brings the excitement level to a 10.”

Shaw writes that Gardner “is one of the most explosive players in the region. His length allows him to play bigger than he is, his quick twitch muscle fibers allow him to jump over most his size, his motor allows him to get to balls that many are not willing to work to get to. Overall, Gardner’s grouping of physical traits and his mentality allow him to be a player who gathers a lot of breath-taking plays throughout the course of a game.”