GA Duo Looking at Several Mid Majors

Rice and Young. Stockton and Malone. Bonnie and Clyde. Batman and Robin. Some duos just fit. Jay Anderson and Galen Gardenhire are no different. Playing at Campbell HS (GA) in Smyrna, the duo forms one of the toughest backcourts in the Peach state.

Anderson, a 6-foot-3, 196 pound shooting guard averaged 20 points and five rebounds as a junior. Wichita, Tulane, Appalachian State, Georgia State, South Alabama, Florida Atlantic, Furman and The Citadel are all on Anderson’s list. He mentioned the school’s diversity, style of play and the atmosphere of the college as the things he is looking for in colleges.

Gardenhire put up 18 points, seven rebounds and three assists a contest last year. The 6-foot-3, 185 combo guard is interested in Marshall, Georgia State, The Citadel, Furman, Tennessee-Chattanooga and East Tennessee.

Dayton had been in the picture for Gardenhire but when Oliver Purnell left for Clemson, the Flyers backed off. But with the omission of Dayton from Gardenhire’s list, another mid major jumped on. Ron Jirsa, who was an assistant to Purnell, before taking over at Marshall. Now the Herd is in the picture.

“They are a good program and they’ve started recruiting me since they got a new coach. I talked with Coach Jirsa before and I like the things he says. They will be a good team and I can see myself helping them out,” Gardenhire said.

The prospect of playing beyond the realm of high school basketball has crossed their minds before. A couple of southern schools are courting both players for their programs. It is an idea that is intriguing.

“We talk about that all the time. We’ve been playing together since the ninth grade and know each other’s game,” Anderson said. “He’s a better shooter than me. I know that I can get the pass to him so he can spot up and knock down the three like a free throw.”

On the court, they compliment each other extremely well and it is no surprise that the two of them are one of the favorites to get to the state championships. After finishing the season 17-8 and returning nearly all major components of the team, Anderson and Gardenhire feel pretty good about their chances.

“This is going to be the best year yet. We’ve both been starting for three years and we think we can go all the way. We’re working hard and getting better and better,” Gardenhire said.

With daily individual workouts that include court time, conditioning and weight training the possibilities are endless. Throw in a 2005 prospect J.P. Felder (TCU and SMU are showing an early interest in the 6-foot-7 power forward), a state championship isn’t that difficult to grasp for Campbell.