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Kerri Gardin
Inducted November 18, 2021
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High School: Averaged 18.4 points, 13.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 3.9 steals and 2.0 blocks for Coach Jamie Smith at Freedom High School. As a senior at Freedom High School she led her team to the 2002 North Carolina 4A girls state championship and was named North Carolina Miss Basketball for the 2001–02 season. Named The Associated Press North Carolina Girls Player of the Year ... Scored 25 points with 19 rebounds and six assists in leading her team to a 68-52 win over Lumberton in the Class 4A title game ... Championship game MVP ... Class 4A Northwestern Conference Player of the Year ... Led team to 2001 National AAU Junior Olympics title and was named MVP.
College: At Virginia Tech, Gardin led her Hokies to four consecutive NCAA appearances. The North Carolina native played during the heart of the women’s basketball program’s golden era. The Hokies played at least one NCAA Tournament game in all four years of her career from 2002-06.
Gardin still holds or shares six of Tech’s single-game records and two single-season records. As a junior, Gardin averaged 11.1 points and eight rebounds per game. As a senior, Gardin earned third-team All-ACC honors after averaging 12.7 points and 10 rebounds per game. She set a Tech single-season record for rebounds (289), and her 21 rebounds against Virginia tied a school record.
Gardin ranked fifth in school history in rebounds (784), eighth in blocked shots (91), 10th in steals (157), and 21st in scoring (1,061).
As a senior, she averaged a double-double with 12.7 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Her performance at the university led to her induction into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.
Professional Career: Gardin was drafted 34th overall in the 2006 WNBA Draft by the Chicago Sky. Before the season started, the Sky waived her. Before the 2007 WNBA season, Gardin was signed by the Seattle Storm. Like in Chicago, she was waived by the Storm before seeing any regular season action. In 2008, the Connecticut Sun signed Gardin as a free agent. She retained a roster spot and went on to start 15 games, helping the Sun post a 21–13 overall record. In the 2008 WNBA Playoffs, Gardin ranked first in the league in steals per turnover (5.0).
Kerri played 10 years professionally in Asia, Europe and the Middle East in Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Romania, Israel, Ukraine, and Thailand.
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