Trojans’ transfer finds way around

Constant ribbing is just part of the gig with the University of Arkansas-Little Rock’s men’s basketball team. If Coach Darrell Walker isn’t giving someone grief, they’ve probably done something wrong.

Thus, it’s not intended to be an insult when Walker says working with junior forward Myron Gardner is “like coaching a freshman.”

Gardner, who debuted in UALR’s Sun Belt Conference opener Dec. 30, is at his fifth school in as many years. Between transfers and injuries, the Detroit native has played only 28 games since graduating high school in 2019.

A lack of live action wasn’t helped when the Trojans had their last three games canceled due to several covid-19 infections two weeks ago.

“It was a matter of time,” said Walker, whose team avoided the post-Christmas rash of covid pauses. “What are you going to do? It’s going to hit every team and it’s worse than it was last year.”

UALR is crossing its fingers that it’ll be in the clear going forward, especially with homestands on two of the next three weekends. That run starts tonight with a visit from Texas State, tipping off at 6:30 p.m.

Walker said he isn’t particularly sure what he’ll be able to get from any of his players after an extended layoff. But the insertion and development of Gardner could give the Trojans a new dimension on offense.

“When he’s really in shape and knows what he’s doing, it gives us another player on the court that can push the ball up and make a play,” Walker said. “He’s a really talented player, but he’s still trying to figure out where he can score from.”

The 6-6, 220-pound Gardner left home for his senior year of high school, playing at Spire Academy in Geneva, Ohio, in 2018-19 with the likes of 2021 NBA Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball and a pair of high-major prospects in Mark “Rocket” Watts (Mississippi State) and Isaiah Jackson (Kentucky, Indiana Pacers).

Gardner wound up at Georgetown under Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing, only to leave the Hoyas after eight games. He was mentioned in a civil complaint stemming from an incident involving a teammate, but Gardner denied the allegations, and the case was closed without any charges.

That led him to South Plains College in Levelland, Texas, a town of less than 15,000 near Lubbock.

Midway through last season Gardner suffered an ankle injury that ended his campaign. And while his play, combined with a recommendation from Ewing — one of Walker’s NBA teammates — was enough to get him another Division I shot at UALR, Gardner’s ankle never fully healed.

After arthroscopic surgery in late July, a stress fracture in his shin was discovered. From then until Dec. 20, Gardner was completely out of basketball activities.

“Everything’s helped me be humble,” Gardner said. “Three years at three different schools is a lot. It’s made me grow up quick.”

There isn’t an obvious answer as to where Gardner fits into UALR’s offense. The only certainty with the Trojans, when healthy, has been big man Nikola Maric, who is averaging 15.6 points and 6.3 rebounds but was the first UALR player to test positive for covid in this recent outbreak.

With Maric not at full strength, Gardner could be asked to do any number of things. UALR hasn’t had a defined point guard, lacks a consistent wing scorer and is shooting 29.1% on three-pointers this season — good for 324th out of 358 teams in the nation. The self-proclaimed Swiss Army knife still has time left with the Trojans to rediscover the form that made him a highly sought-after recruit a couple of years back.

“I’ve got to get my rhythm back,” he said.