AUBURN, Ala. – Four-star point guard Jason “Dink” Gardner Jr. has officially signed with the Auburn men’s basketball program and heads to the Plains as a true freshman for the start of the 2027-28 season.
A native of Fishers, Indiana, Gardner Jr. is the 69th ranked player in the class of 2027, the No. 23 ranked point guard and the fifth ranked player in the state of Indiana according to On3.
“Jason is winner. Every team he’s a part of wins and wins big,” head coach Steven Pearl said. “He’s a quick, shifty, high IQ point guard that can get anywhere he wants with the ball at any time. His ability to get paint touches combined with his elite playmaking skill makes him one of the top high school point guards in the country. He can really attack the basket and is one of the best high school finishers around the rim.
“He has the potential to really disrupt on defense with his quickness and speed, and should wreak havoc as an on-ball defender. We are really excited about his leadership and being the future floor general for our program."
Gardner Jr. was averaging 20.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2-9 assists and 1.4 steals per game before a hand injury sidelined him for the remainder of his junior season. Now fully healthy, Gardner Jr. is on the short list of hopefuls for 2027 Indiana Mr. Basketball.
Gardner Jr. chose Auburn over Florida, Indiana, Stanford and DePaul, while also holding offers from Arizona, Iowa, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Purdue, Texas and UCLA, amongst others.