NC State offers ECU transfer forward Jayden Gardner

East Carolina forward Jayden Gardner has drawn a lot of high-major attention since his decision to enter the transfer portal on Monday, and Kevin Keatts has already offered him a scholarship to play for NC State.

There’s good reason for the high demand, as Gardner is coming off a season in which he averaged 18.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. It was his junior season, but since it doesn’t count for eligibility purposes, he’ll have two years at his next school if he wants them.

Gardner, who is from Wake Forest, shouldered an enormous workload for the Pirates over the last three years. He’s a career 50.5% shooter inside the arc and should improve his scoring efficiency at a place where he doesn’t have to account for quite so much of the offense.

Gardner is also an excellent rebounder at both ends of the floor, and he’s great at getting himself to the free throw line, where he’s a career 74% shooter. There’s a lot to like about his skill set.