AUDIO: IUPUI coach Jason Gardner at the tip-off luncheon

Gardner — back in his playing days at Arizona.

Jason Gardner is preparing for his second season as head coach of the IUPUI Jaguars. Gardner, Indiana’s Mr. Basketball in 1999 out of North Central High School, went on to have a successful college career at the University of Arizona.

But now he’s back in Indy and looking to raise the profile of the Jaguars men’s basketball program and the entire athletic department. For the second consecutive season, they will play their home games in the fabulous Indiana Farmers Coliseum (at the State Fairgrounds).

This year, Gardner is trying to get his team to play at a faster pace. Sound familiar?

One of the things I really like: 12 of the 15 players on his roster are from the state of Indiana. That’s how it should be at IUPUI.

At the Jungle on Tuesday, the basketball programs held a tip-off luncheon. Listen to my conversation with Gardner below.

https://soundcloud.com/sports1430/jason-gardner-at-the-iupui-tip-off-luncheon