HOLLAND, MI (WHTC) – A Hope College basketball standout is getting recognition for his charitable work off the court. Senior guard Ben Gardner has been named to the Allstate National Association of Basketball Coaches Good Works Team. Gardner co-founded a line of clothing, called Jesse G. Clothing, with a childhood friend that sends a portion of its proceeds toward helping youth in the African nation of Ethiopia. He is one of 10 men’s basketball players, across all three NCAA Divisions and the NAIA, to be named to the Good Works Team. He’s the third Hope basketball player in the last four years named to the team, joining Colton Overway in 2013 and Grant Neil in 2014. A public accounting major at Hope, Gardner has scored more than 1,000 points in his career and leads the Flying Dutchmen in scoring this season at 15.4 points per game. He will be recognized at the men’s NCAA Division I Final Four in Houston this spring.
Written by Greg Chandler