Arizona's season now rests on Gardner improving.(Jason Gardner fails to make the Chicago Bulls team, and must put that behind him for the upcoming Arizona season)(Brief Article)

Publication: The Sporting News

Publication Date: 25-JUN-01

Bookmark this article Print this article Link to this article Email this article Digg It! Add to del.icio.us RSS

COPYRIGHT 2001 Sporting News Publishing Co.

Around the Arizona offices, point guard Jason Gardner's abortive journey into the NBA draft is being viewed as a "basketball vacation."

Some people on vacation jet-ski their way into broken legs. Gardner shot 6-of-28 at the NBA Pre-Draft Camp.

Gardner waited just four days after the camp was over to withdraw from the June 27 draft and return to Arizona for his junior season. In his 62 days as a quasi-professional, he gained some muscle and the experience of competing with others pursuing NBA goals, but he widely was identified as the player whose presence at the Chicago camp bore no logical explanation.

"About everybody I talked to basically said he needed to go back," NBA draft analyst Chris Monter says. "He's not ready."

Gardner will benefit from continuing his college career, but only if he avoids returning to the Wildcats disheartened and defeated--or with a focus on proving himself instead of his team.

Gardner was...

Read the full article for free courtesy of your local library.