Welcome Brandon Gardner

It’s huge to continue with the big recruiting momentum this staff has created. And it’s always great to beat out major schools for a recruit. Super excited to land a commitment from Gardner and to kick off the ‘23 class, but similarly to when we sign lower rated recruits, his ranking means little to me in terms of how he’ll be able to play on the court.
 
Per Rivals piece

IN HIS OWN WORDS​

Why St. John’s? “It’s about the fit, it isn’t about the name. It’s about how they’ll use you and where you’re wanted. Go where you’re wanted and where you’re loved because this is a life-changing event, you know?”
The staff’s pitch: “I’m a game-changer in the Big East. The Big East doesn’t have a lot of players like me that can block shots, dunk on people and shoot the three sometimes, things like that.”
St. John’s plan for Gardner: “They’ll use me as a lob threat. They play fast and I’m a fast-paced player. I’ll be blocking shots, getting dunks in transition, screen and roll, screen and pop, exploit mismatches, and play defense”
Gardner’s relationship with the staff: “It’s like a family for real. That’s really why I chose St. John’s over all over these schools. We talk all of the time, we can talk about anything. I really mess with those guys.”
 
mattc said:
By year four-ish of both the Lavin and Mullin regimes we had very little if any momentum on the recruiting trail. CMA and his staff are GAINING momentum in year four. Loving what I'm seeing!
Click to expand...
This is exactly my observation as well. Obviously there’s been some dissapointment in the Anderson era but this is the first time in awhile that the trend line of a staff’s recruiting is moving in a positive direction as time goes on. The last 2 cycles they’re recruiting and landing a level of player that most of us were probably questioning if they were capable of getting. Great news. Keep it up, Coach.
 
Welcome aboard Brandon! And congrats to CMA and staff. Tremendous shift in the past couple years from competing for talent to actually landing kids. Very exciting for the future.

Thanks for the news and updates Paultz.
 
Months of anticipation culminating this morning, thrilling news. The uptick in recruiting has been obvious, we're on a tear. Gardner will likely be viewed as the linchpin in a Top 25 23' class. We are strictly recruiting 4 stars and it seems like there is no looking back in this new NIL era. We are!
 
Welcome to the St. John's family Brandon "Madison Square" Gardner! We're so excited you have decided to join us here! Great job by the coaching staff! Let's keep the positive vibes going!
 
Even the old-school doom and gloomers are celebrating!

Time for a new generation and it starts with you B-Gard!

You'll be an integral part in bringing us back to GLORY!
 
There appears to be three main reasons for the improvement in the SJU recruitment results.
1 the uptempo style of play Anderson favors
2 the family atmosphere Anderson has installed at SJU
3 playing games at MSG
Anderson is responsible for one and two but Cragg must pick up the baton for three. It is probably too late for the coming season but he must schedule a top ten team at MSG for the following year. Even if you lose to a Duke or Kansas it doesn’t hurt your NCAA chances and those games are what attracts the general public.
 
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