Gardner Finds Basketball a “Great Outlet”

While being named “All-District” might seem to be the result of what happened in one season, senior Bobby Gardner knows that it’s an award that has been years in the making.

Gardner was recently named the Boys Basketball Jefferson All-District player of the Year for the Virginia High School League, an honor awarded to the top players annually. Gardner plays the position of point guard, but he is versatile and plays wherever he is needed on the court.

Gardner has had a passion for basketball since middle school. “For me, it’s always been a great outlet; whatever I’m feeling or going through, I can let go of all of it on the court,” he said.

In past years, he scored around 500 points per season, but this year he’s scored a total of 1,000 points. Like with all seasons, there were highs and lows. “The toughest part of the season was the 1st round, losing the game by one point and fouling out,” he recalled. He said his highlight was the Buckingham game, where he dunked back-to-back, causing momentum to carry him and his team throughout the game.

Gardner aspired to earn the Player of the Year title with the extra work he put in during practice and training, but that he wasn’t sure he would achieve this goal because of all the talent he saw on the courts this season. He said he hopes to continue his basketball career into college, and dreams of one day pursuing it as a career by playing professionally overseas.

Over the course of the 2022-2023 basketball season, the boys team finished with a record of 16-6, finishing 5th in the district.

Senior Bobby Gardner recently received recognition as the. In addition to Gardner’s achievement, head basketball coach of the boy’s team, Health Bralley, won all district coach of the year.

“Bobby is an amazing athlete with a bright future in life. He has a great mix of ability, competitiveness, joy, and passion for the game of basketball and his teammates. Bobby will be missed not only for his amazing abilities on the court, but for his attributes off of it. Personally, I will miss his bear hugs after starting lineups. That is just one example of the joy and excitement Bobby brings to the game of basketball and those around him,” said Head Coach Heath Bralley, who was himself named Jefferson District Coach of the Year.

Overall, the boys team finished with a record of 16-6, finishing 5th in the district.