Thomas Gardner didn’t think he would fit into new Mizzou basketball coach Mike Anderson’s system. The would-be senior guard decided to pursue his dream of playing in the NBA. That dream is on hold right now as Gardner wasn’t one of the 60 players selected in the NBA draft Wednesday.
The former Tiger entered his name in the draft after the firing of ex-coach Quinn Snyder but didn’t sign with an agent, leaving open the possibility of returning to Columbia. He received little to no interest from pro teams before hiring agent Bill McCandless of Immortal Sports Entertainment. Things never really picked up for Gardner, he wasn’t even invited to the NBA Predraft Camp in Orlando, FLA.
Gardner hopes to catch on with a team and participate in a summer league. It’s still possible for him to reach his dream, but it might be harder than running a few extra sprints and actually playing defense for Anderson.