Brandon Gardner's future was sent in a different direction when Mike Anderson was fired at St. John's.

The Christ The King (Brooklyn, New York) star thought he had found his new home after transferring from North Carolina for his senior season. Instead, he had to figure out what to do next when the coaching change happened.

He was released from his National Letter of Intent, and three dozen schools then entered the picture for the 2023 Mr. Basketball in New York.

USC became one of the programs involved and this week he committed while on an official visit to Los Angeles. The 6-foot-8 power forward went public with his decision Friday.

Ultimately, the Trojans fit everything he had been looking for in a program the second time around.

"What really made me like USC is the coaching staff," Gardner told TrojanSports.com about his decision. "Then the players they have coming in. I feel like it'll be great for me as a basketball player and a man.

"You could have class with Barack Obama's daughter and you wouldn't even know. That's kinda crazy to me."