The path was not supposed to play out like this for former New York Mr. Basketball. A ferocious leaper with freakish athleticism, multi-positional defense, and a considerable motor, the former Christ the King star was originally headed to St. John's.

Brandon Gardner averaged 12.4 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks during his lone season at Christ the King. Heavily awaiting his would-be arrival at St. John's, Red Storm fans even dubbed him "Madison Square Gardener." The wiry forward's explosiveness and knack for electrifying, highlight reel dunks would be a tailor-made cut for the World's Most Famous Arena.

Gardner spoke glowingly of the family environment at St. John's during the time of his commitment. He spoke about how his game aligns with the pace the team employs. He discussed his relationship with AJ Storr, then a freshman and one of the more productive scorers during an otherwise forgettable campaign.

The plot folded, however, when previous St. John's head coach Mike Anderson was fired at the culmination of Gardner's senior season. While Rick Pitino wound up replacing Anderson and helping revive a dormant program. Gardner wound up at USC and played just one game due to a foot injury. He spent his freshman redshirt season at Arizona State under Bobby Hurley, albeit he never actually saw the floor.

Gardner was suspended for violation of team rules and was never given significant minutes, despite Hurley indicating he would be pressed into action for a Sun Devil team that, at the time, was ravaged by a spate of injuries.

Now, Gardner will hit the reset button, starting entirely fresh at Sacramento State, which is ushering in a new era. Bibby, known for his legendary career with the Sacramento Kings in the early 2000s, is vowing to change the culture of the program. Sacramento State will open up a state-of-the-art, spanking new athletic facility.

The program generated national headlines last month when Shaquille O'Neal agreed to become the program's general manager in a voluntary role. During these embryonic stages, of work to alter the trajectory of the program. Bibby has re-tooled the roster with the likes of Gardner, former five-star recruit and University of Central Florida transfer Mikey Williams, and Jeremiah Cherry, a 6-foot-10 and 280-pound transfer via UNLV. With the staff thoroughly cleansed from the previous season, Sacramento State will have a New York recruiting presence in assistant coach Jason Fraser. Fraser authored a legendary career at Amityville HS on Long Island and went on to play at Villanova under Jay Wright.

With such a small sample size and an unpredictable, maze-like NCAA journey--having originally committed to St. John's and then embarking on less than memorable West Coast pass-throughs at USC and Arizona State-- Sacramento State could potentially be a rebirth for Gardner.

Bibby is excited about the 6-foot-8, 215-pound transfer's ball skills, open-court finishing, and defensive versatility.