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Lehi • Jeff Gardner walked off the court following a loss against Mountain View in early January. His first-year Skyridge program had fought back from a deficit that was spearheaded by the Bruins' hot touch from the perimeter in the first half, but ultimately fell short despite two potential tying looks in the final seconds.

He was reserved during handshakes and during the long walk to the locker room. But once inside, the sound of his passion leaked out. This was a learning lesson for the young Falcons, and he wasn't about to miss the opportunity to teach them the importance of every possession, particularly in region play.

"I think the biggest lesson is the margin is going to be so tight in this league that if we make four or five defensive mistakes and give them back baskets, you're going to have a tough time," Gardner said.

Gardner knows what it takes to win. This is a man who has won on the basketball court his entire life. As a player, Gardner led Mountain View to consecutive state championships in 1998 and 1999 before coaching his alma mater for five years and leading the Bruins to four appearances in the state tournament.

Then he sculpted Brighton into a yearly contender for the past five years. He guided the Bengals to two state championship-game appearances and five straight berths in the state tournament.

"He's super smart," Skyridge senior Marcus Draney said. "In timeouts, we all look at each other like, 'This guy is crazy.' He's just so smart."

But what exactly has made him so successful? Brandon Miller, a former player under Gardner at Brighton and now a guard for Dixie State, said it was his attention to individual growth.

"I think what makes him a really successful coach is he spent a lot of time developing his players and then sets them up to utilize their skills and play to their strengths," Miller said.

Gardner also creates energy within his program. His post-game speech following the Mountain View loss was not an anomaly. His passion is contagious.

"He was a really energetic coach. He brought a lot of energy to practices," Miller said. "I remember a lot of times he would jump in and play with us. I thought it was funny. If we had a guy get banged up in practice, he'd just jump in and play.

"He did pretty good. He held his own. He still strokes it."

It was a surprise across the state when news spread that Gardner accepted the Skyridge job. He was leaving a championship-quality program at Brighton to start over. He admitted he was apprehensive about the decision, but building another powerhouse program, this time in his own neighborhood, was too enticing to pass up.

"I think we went in knowing that it was going to take some time and some patience, but it's a great area, and I think long-term it's going to be a really, really good school," Gardner said. "That's made it easier — seeing the potential of the school and the great people that work here and the great support that we have. That's allowed the transition to be easier because we had it really good at Brighton."

He knew he needed to prove himself to his program to begin building a successful program.

"You've got to come in and earn their trust," Gardner said. "I don't think it's necessarily they thought, 'Oh, we've got some hot-shot coach, everything is going to be great.' We still, as a coaching staff, have had to really build relationships and put in the time and commitment to them to get the thing going."

The excitement has been overflowing from the onset. In the spring, 115 kids showed up for tryouts. It was difficult trying to navigate through the process and narrow the participants and ultimately select the team. Yet it was an indication of the possibilities. The area still is growing, andthe chances of success will only get stronger once the foundation is in place.

But Gardner understands the importance of every possession, the learning lesson he was preaching to his players. He's not thinking about next year or down the road. He wants to win now. So do his players. And after studying the track record of first-year schools for the past 20 years, he's confident the Falcons could accomplish something special this season.

"Our seniors didn't come here for a rebuild," Gardner said. "They came here to win now, and we're doing everything we can to put them in a position to have a successful season."

That Mountain View loss, however, was the start of a difficult stretch. The Falcons lost six of their next seven games, with five of those games decided by five points or less. Now Skyridge (9-9, 3-6) is fighting for its postseason life with five games remaining in the regular season.

It certainly won't be easy, but Draney believes the Falcons are capable of winning those close games down the stretch because of the man leading the huddle.

"When we've got a coach like coach Gardner who has been through this and understands how to get to the postseason, you're pretty confident going into the next five games," Draney said. "I'm not worried I'm not going to make state my senior year because I have coach Gardner right next to me fighting with me."

Twitter: @trevorphibbs