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The former Okolona standout and Mississippi State signee has joined the Itawamba Community College basketball team, coach Marty Cooper announced Tuesday.
He’ll be able to play for the 2011-12 season.
Gardner signed with MSU and was in school over the summer, even joining the team on its five-game exhibition tour of Europe. He played sparingly and then lashed out at the coaching staff on Twitter, regarding his impending redshirt status.
That led to his dismissal by coach Rick Stansbury for “repeated actions deemed detrimental to the team.”
Gardner, a 6-foot-7 shooting guard, earned first-team Parade All-American honors after his senior season at Okolona, when he averaged 32 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.
He was named the Daily Journal Player of the Year.