East Mississippi hoops standout Jahyde Gardiner signs with UT Martin

SCOOBA – East Mississippi Community College sophomore forward Jahyde Gardiner has made it official by signing his National Letter of Intent with the University of Tennessee at Martin Thursday afternoon on the Scooba campus.

Gardiner, a versatile 6-foot-6, 220-pound performer for first-year EMCC head men's basketball coach Billy Begley, will join former EMCC backcourt standout and Starkville product Jacolby Mobley on the UT Martin hoops roster in 2016-17.  Members of the Ohio Valley Conference, the UT Martin Skyhawks are coming off one of the most accomplished seasons in program history with 21 wins a year ago.

"I'd like to thank Coach (Heath) Schroyer and Coach (John) Aiken for giving me this opportunity at UT Martin," Gardiner said.  "I plan to play as hard as I can and leave it all out there on the floor every chance I get.  I want to also thank Coach Begley and the East Mississippi coaches for allowing me to experience a winning program."

Originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Gardiner is currently averaging 15.5 points and 9.0 rebounds for the 4-0 EMCC Lions heading into Monday's home contest against Spring Hill College's junior varsity team.  During recent victories over a pair of rival foes, Gardiner scored a career-high 29 points in Thursday's 73-64 home win over East Central and a week prior collected a career-most 17 rebounds to go along with 14 points for his 12^th career double-double.

"I'm really excited for Jahyde and his family.  I think he made an excellent choice in UT Martin, as head coach Heath Schroyer and assistant coach John Aiken have done an unbelievable job of recruiting him and making him a priority," said EMCC's Begley.  "UT Martin is a mid-major program on the rise and Jahyde will fit perfectly into their system.  Jahyde has worked extremely hard on his game since this summer and he has taken his game to a whole new level.  He is a matchup problem for teams because he's now a guy who is just as comfortable playing on the perimeter as he is with his back to the basket."

A year ago as a freshman, Gardiner was selected to the 2014-15 MACJC All-State First Team after averaging 13.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots per game for the 18-8 EMCC Lions under the previous guidance of current Tallahassee CC head men's basketball coach Mark White.  Along with leading all Region 23 defenders with 65 blocks and ranking third regionally in rebounding average last season, Gardiner registered 11 double-doubles while shooting 53 percent overall from the field and 71 percent from the free throw line on the year.

"Jahyde is a young man that we targeted all of last season and into the fall.  He's a guy that really fits what we do," added UT Martin's Schroyer.  "Jahyde can play multiple positions, including both forward spots, and can really shoot the basketball.  He's a great kid and I think he will have an immediate impact from Day One."

Gardiner played his senior season of prep basketball at The Potter's House Christian Academy in Jacksonville, Florida after transferring from Freire Charter School in his native Philadelphia.  During the 2013-14 campaign, he averaged 12.9 points and 5.4 rebounds an outing in earning honorable mention honors on the Florida Times-Union All-First Coast team.  Gardiner also helped lead head coach Steve McLaughlin's 25-8 Lions to a runner-up finish in the 2014 Sunshine Independent Athletic Association State Tournament.

Prior to transferring to the Sunshine State for his senior year, Gardiner led Freire Charter School in scoring and rebounding during each of his three varsity seasons in Philly.  As a junior, he tallied 18.1 points per contest on 56-percent shooting while also averaging 9.0 rebounds to make the 2012-13 All-Public League Division B First Team as voted on by the league's coaches as well as collecting Class AA All-State third-team accolades by the Pennsylvania Sports Writers.