Virginia forward Jayden Gardner grew up a little more than an hour from Greensboro in the heart of ACC country so the chance to play in this year's ACC Tournament close to home offered a chance to fulfill some childhood dreams. He's making the most of it.
Gardner exploded for 23 points in UVA's Friday night 76-56 win against Clemson, which brought a patented smile from the senior.
"It means everything to come out here and hoop in the hoop state," Gardner said on ESPN after the game. "I've dreamed about stuff like this."
Even Gardner's dreams may have short-changed the type of night he had against the Tigers. He made 10 of 15 shots on the way to his 23 points and added 12 rebounds for a double-double on the big stage. He had 2 assists and 1 steal with a good night defensively as well.
At times, Clemson didn't have an answer for him.
Midway through the first half, Gardner posted up on the left side and quickly turned into a fall-away jumper that Ian Schieffelin contested well, but not well enough. Swish. Later in the half, he also zipped a pass across the lane to Armaan Franklin for a bucket and outworked everyone for an offensive putback.
In the second half, Franklin returned the favor with a bounce pass that turned into a scooping reverse layup. Later in the game, Gardner slipped away from the defense for a wide open basket and he added another jumper in the final two minutes too. That doesn't even account for two more putbacks and a beautiful high-low pass to Francisco Caffaro for 2 points.
Long story short, Gardner played a huge role in Virginia scoring 40 points in the paint.
"I think just our mentality to be aggressive, to be assertive," Gardner said. "Clemson's a very physical team and we were coached to try to meet their physicality tonight and I think we did that."
Friday's performance extended a late-season surge for Gardner. He has scored in double figures in 12 of the last 15 games. The outing became the fifth game of at least 18 points in that stretch. It was also his fifth double-double of the season, all of which have been during this late-season run. That includes both ACC Tournament games so far.
Of course, this isn't a new phenomenon for the fifth-year senior. He's scored in double figures 123 times in his career and has 41 career double-doubles. Gardner has accumulated more than 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in his career.
The chance to add to those totals in the ACC Tournament, however, has been a dream come true.
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