Devante Gardner

[NersEllenson]

Heck of a nice stat line for DG.  Pretty impressive considering going up against the length and athleticism of Zeller and Henson.  How he is able to use his body/footwork/touch..is really encouraging.  He's got a bright future.  IF he can keep getting himself in better and better shape..we'll have a special post player.

6-9FG  4-5FT  6REB  16pts in 18 minutes of action..

[96warrior]

Agreed. Upside is great...he is only a freshman!

[Untucked]

If can improve his defense, so he can stay on the floor, he could score 12-14 pts per game next year.

[warriors1991]

DG played well tonight.
He needs to lose 25 pounds of fat and gain 15 pounds of muscle and keep working on his defense. He's going to be a force.
I can't wait to see his sophomore season.

[willie warrior]

Otule is the back up, Gardner is the man. If people cannot yet see that he is our future, well I am sorry for those people.

[mufvr]

DG has three big ingredients for a C; soft hands, good footwork and a nice touch.  Otule will back him up next year after he de-pounds, adds some quickness and refines his defense.  His only limitation is his height.  I love DG but Buzz still needs to add some quality height.

[groove]

lack of jumping ability is another liability, however he can always learn to get better positioning.

[brewcity77]

Davante still has a long way to go fitness-wise. Hopefully one offseason will be enough to condition him. If he can lose that 25 pounds of fat and add 15 pounds of muscle, he'll be fantastic, but that's a lot of work to do. My expectation now is that he and Otule will be able to split time next year, but in an ideal world, I'd like to see Otule and Gardner both averaging 22-25 mpg. Which would mean some time of them playing together. If Gardner slims a bit and can run the floor, there's no reason they can't play 5-10 minutes together, especially against slower paced teams. That could be a real force inside.

[4everwarriors]

Both Otule and Gardner are role players, at best. For the Warriors to contend for a championship in both the BE and national scene, a better player needs to be recruited for the post. It's a big man's game, right Zeller?

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

Both Otule and Gardner are role players, at best. For the Warriors to contend for a championship in both the BE and national scene, a better player needs to be recruited for the post. It's a big man's game, right Zeller?

I disagree with you, 4ever. I think Gardener is a potential stud. Zeller had a great game, but he's soft. If we can channel Gardner's ability and aggressiveness we're going to have something. Say what you want about him physically, but attitude-wise he's not soft.

[ChicosBailBonds]

DG better lose 20 to 25lbs this offseason

[Djgoldnboy]

I agree he can get in better shape, but to say he's not athletic now is wrong.  He doesn't look it, but he is.  Look at that pass he made between his legs tonight....a non-athletic (not to mention coordinated) person doesn't make that.

[JTBMU7]

role players arent a bad thing. if you get enough of them you have a really good team, assuming they're solid in their roles...

[96warrior]

I disagree with you, 4ever. I think Gardener is a potential stud. Zeller had a great game, but he's soft. If we can channel Gardner's ability and aggressiveness we're going to have something. Say what you want about him physically, but attitude-wise he's not soft.

This. No way Gardner is a role player.

[National Champs]

Like what I saw from him this season. One more boot camp will do wonders for his quickness on both ends and he will evolve into a real big threat down low. Gotta love the ox from king's fork.

[Marqus Howard]

Also liked what I saw from DG on defense in the first half. Played noticeably better on defense until picking up a cheap foul, at which point he backed off a bit -- if he keeps up the tempo that he showed early he will be at least as good as Chris is on defense.

[Fullodds]

Gardner will only get better. When he is comfortable passing back to the wing when he is not in good position or doubled, we will get a ton of open 3's. Right now, when he gets the ball (without a cutter), he is making his moves regardless of post position or double. Small point, but it will make him a much better post player.

[77fan88warrior]

Like what I saw from him this season. One more boot camp will do wonders for his quickness on both ends and he will evolve into a real big threat down low. Gotta love the ox from king's fork.

It isn't a boot camp solution. DG needs to look at a guy like Blair from Pitt and realize he is managing a business every time he hits the dining table. Blair was a great player in the BE but made some dietary decisions after joining the NBA that have worked to his advantage. He is obviously the best low post scoring threat as a freshman for MU since Damon Key??? Davante's potential is enormous and it's great how the coaches have brought him along this year. It seems that DG and CO have a good relationship that will cause them to challenge each other and make both of them better players.

[El Duderino]

Davante still has a long way to go fitness-wise. Hopefully one offseason will be enough to condition him. If he can lose that 25 pounds of fat and add 15 pounds of muscle, he'll be fantastic, but that's a lot of work to do. My expectation now is that he and Otule will be able to split time next year, but in an ideal world, I'd like to see Otule and Gardner both averaging 22-25 mpg. Which would mean some time of them playing together. If Gardner slims a bit and can run the floor, there's no reason they can't play 5-10 minutes together, especially against slower paced teams. That could be a real force inside.

Yep

Gardner showed way more promise than i expected when he was signed, but how much he develops going forward will largely be dictated on how much work he puts into getting in significantly better shape.

He had advanced post skills for a freshman and really knows how to use his bulk down there, but he gets gassed very quickly and struggles to defend/rebound better because he's simply to heavy.

That said, i believe he's lost 20 to 30 pounds from his senior year in high school, so that shows some effort. He'll being going home soon though and that's where he really has to show discipline and not add on weight.

[wojosdojo]

Do some of you really think Ox can start over Chris? Tonight he was great. I love how he doesn't let anyone stand in his way and won't back down. However, the improvement Otule put in this year I think will happen all over again. I hope DG can surprise us next year (as only a soph.!) but I still see him being the role player Chris. Hope he proves me wrong.

[77fan88warrior]

CO has had more time to learn but my guess is that we still see a lot offensive-defensive substitutions the next two years.

[Warrior]

Gardner needs to be in the games much more next season.

[El Duderino]

This. No way Gardner is a role player.

I think he can be somewhere between the overly excited view of him being a future stud and just a role player.

If he can get in better condition each year he's with the team, i can see him becoming a guy who averages around 20mpg, but also a guy who is a real offensive force in those minutes.

A role player is Joe Fulce, Gardner can be significantly more important even if his size may never allow him to play a ton of minutes every night even if he's being effective.

[DaCoach]

There is no reason both Otule and Gardner can't be on the floor at the same time. Just stop asking our big guys to provide defense above the three. With only one guy in the box we continue to see inside mismatches. We wouldn't require triple teams on the post resulting in too many open threes and wide open cutters and offensive rebounds.

[Stretchdeltsig]

Devante played an excellent game.  It seemed that he was the only player that could score throughout the game.  Agreed that he should continue to develop his body.  Also, think that MU needs at least one more athletic big man.  Hope Buzz can sign one this spring.