St. John Bosco’s Gardner Spurns UCLA, Picks Cal

Jelani Gardner, considered the state’s top high school basketball player, was not swayed by a national title or an early exit from the tournament when he announced his college decision Friday.

The prep All-American from Bellflower St. John Bosco High said it was the opportunity to play immediately that made him sign a letter of intent with California.

Gardner, a 6-foot-6 point guard, also considered Arkansas and UCLA, but he said those teams’ performances in the NCAA tournament had no bearing on his decision. Neither did Cal’s postseason loss to Green Bay Wisconsin.

“I’ll be on a completely new team, so what they did this season meant very little to me,” said Gardner, who announced his decision before 500 students in the school gym. “I’ll be with a new group of guys.”

After competing in Magic Johnson’s Roundball Classic all-star game last weekend in Auburn Hills, Mich., Gardner said he began favoring Cal. Spending much of that game on the bench made him realize he did not want the same experience in college.

“I don’t want to be on a team with a bunch of all-stars and keep looking over my shoulder all of the time,” he said. “I want to get in the game and do what I do best.”

Gardner also credited Cal Coach Todd Bozeman with personally recruiting him from the beginning, rather than leaving those duties to his assistants, as UCLA and Arkansas did.

At Cal, Gardner is expected to take over for Jason Kidd, a sophomore who announced last month that he is making himself available for the NBA draft.

Gardner, selected the state’s most valuable player this season by Cal-Hi Sports and the John Wooden Award, started high school at La Puente Bishop Amat. He transferred to St. John Bosco his junior season, leading the Braves to a 53-6 record during his stay.

Last season, Gardner averaged 25 points and eight assists as St. John Bosco won the Southern Section Division II-A title.