Timea Gardiner

Timea Gardiner
No. 30 – UCLA Bruins
PositionForward
LeagueBig Ten Conference
Personal information
Born (2003-10-22) October 22, 2003 (age 21)
Brighton, England
NationalityBritish / American
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Career information
High schoolFremont (Plain City, Utah)
College
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Women's basketball
Representing the  United States
FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship
Gold medal – first place 2019 Chile Team

Timea Gardiner (born October 22, 2003) is a British-American college basketball player for the UCLA Bruins of the Big Ten Conference. She previously played for the Oregon State Beavers.

Early life and high school career

Gardiner was born in England, where her father was playing professional basketball. She played basketball for Fremont High School in Plain City, Utah.[1] As a senior, Gardiner was selected to play in the McDonald's All-American Game.[2] Rated a five-star recruit and the number 6 player in the 2022 class by ESPN,[3] she committed to play college basketball for Oregon State over offers from Stanford and UCLA.[4] She became the highest-ranked recruit to ever sign with the program.[2]

College career

Before her freshman season at Oregon State, Gardiner crashed her scooter while riding around campus, leading to a minor injury and a CT scan that revealed blood clots in her lungs. After being sidelined for the first half of the season, she averaged 8.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, earning Pac-12 All-Freshman honorable mention.[5][6] As a sophomore, Gardiner averaged 11.6 points and 7 rebounds per game, helping her team reach the Elite Eight of the 2024 NCAA tournament. She was named Pac-12 Sixth Player of the Year and was selected to the coaches' all-conference team.[7] For her junior season, Gardiner transferred to UCLA.[8]

National team career

Gardiner played for the United States at the 2019 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Chile. She averaged 7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, helping her team win the gold medal.[4]

Personal life

Gardiner is a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and the United States. Her father, Andy, is a native of England and played basketball for Hawaii Pacific and professionally in England and Belgium. Gardiner's mother, Cory, played volleyball for Hawaii Pacific.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Carr, Patrick (November 20, 2021). "Fremont's Timea Gardiner stays true to self despite pressures of basketball recruiting stardom". Standard-Examiner. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  2. ^ a b McDonald, Ryan (April 9, 2024). "This former Utah high school basketball star is entering the transfer portal". Deseret News. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  3. ^ "Timea Gardiner 2022 High School Girls' Basketball Profile". ESPN. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Laflin, Shane (March 15, 2021). "Oregon State women's basketball lands No. 4 overall recruit Timea Gardiner". ESPN. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  5. ^ Laase, Eden (March 29, 2024). "Timea Gardiner is thriving and has Oregon State in the Elite Eight — and it's all thanks to a fluke scooter accident". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  6. ^ Hedberg, Jake (April 8, 2024). "Oregon State F Timea Gardiner hits portal". 247Sports. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  7. ^ "Gardiner Named 6th Player; Trio Makes All-Pac-12". Oregon State University Athletics. March 5, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  8. ^ Philippou, Alexa (May 1, 2024). "Former Oregon State forward Timea Gardiner to transfer to UCLA". ESPN. Retrieved November 22, 2024.