Brandon Gardner asks for release from St. John’s one day after meeting new coach Rick Pitino

Four-star forward Brandon Gardner has asked for release from St. John’s after hiring Rick Pitino, according to a report.

Gardner, who attended Christ the King High School in Queens last year, was the last surviving member of Mike Anderson’s three-member recruiting class.

He had initially remained committed to St. John’s after Anderson’s firing, but requested his release from his National Letter of Intent a day after meeting new coach Pitino, his mother Tameka Gordon told me. The New York Post.

In a statement shared on social media, Gardner said he would still consider re-committing to St. John’s, but the school reportedly has no intention of re-hiring him.

Gardner said, “I want to thank St. John’s University, Coach Anderson for recruiting me, the amazing fan base and the entire coaching staff for all the love, respect and faith you all have shown to my family and me throughout my recruiting process.

His request came a day after meeting with St. John’s new coach Rick Pitino (pictured)

“I want to share that I recently applied for my release from St. John’s to reopen my recruiting process for all schools, including St. John’s.

“I look forward to starting this journey again and will make the best decision for my future and the game I love so much.”

Several other schools have reportedly expressed interest in Gardner through third parties ever since speculation about Anderson’s future at St. John’s began.

It continued after Pitino was hired and there were reports that those interested schools were offering lump sums to be paid through NIL deals.

However, his mother shut down those rumors, claiming that the investigation was unfair to her son.

“I’d like to stop the noise before it starts. NIL – it can never be about something my son is entitled to,” Gordon told The Post.

Brandon Gardner was patient. He listened. He met the coaching staff and respected everyone’s vision during this process, and my son is the captain of his ship.

“It is unfair to put my son under scrutiny over NIL. My son wants to play in a school where he feels he can play, grow and build an exceptional IQ. Coach Pitino is going to put together his own team. Whether he wanted my son or not is irrelevant. He builds his team his way. It is important for my son to work off his instincts and prayers/signs. When it came to NIL. Brandon wouldn’t have committed to St. John’s.”

In a statement, Gardner said he would still consider committing to St. John’s again

Pitino was hired last month to replace Mike Anderson, who went 68-56 in four seasons

Pitino was hired last month to replace Anderson, who went 68-56 in four seasons with St. John’s. The Red Storm finished 18-15 this season and never made the NCAA Tournament during Anderson’s tenure.

Pitino, who was born in New York City and grew up on Long Island, has won 832 games in 34 full seasons as a college head coach, including NCAA championships in Kentucky in 1996 and Louisville in 2013.

The Louisville title was vacated for NCAA violations, and another NCAA case related to the FBI investigation of corruption in college basketball recruiting led to Pitino being fired by Louisville in 2017.

The NCAA’s External Enforcement Division’s final ruling in the FBI case came out in November and exonerated Pitino.

There was also a criminal racketeering case in which Pitino was a victim during his time in Louisville that exposed personal indiscretions.

St. John’s gave the Hall of Famer a six-year contract to turn back the clock on a program that once stole New York City headlines from the Knicks in the 1980s under coach Lou Carnesecca, but has now been running for more than two years stuck in mediocrity. decades.

Late last month, juniors Posh Alexander and Dylan Addae-Wusu joined freshman guards AJ Storr and Kolby King, and sophomore forward O’Mar Stanley in the transfer portal.