Rizing Fukuoka shooting guard Michael Gardener, coming off a spectacular 34-point outing against the Takamatsu Five Arrows, was named the Circle K Sunkus Player of the Week, the bj-league announced on Tuesday.
In addition, Gardener took home the league's monthly MVP award for April, a time in which the Rizing went 5-0 and climbed into playoff contention. Gardener scored 20-plus points in four of those games, averaging 25.6 in that span. He dished out a season-high 13 assists in a must-win game against the Ryukyu Golden Kings on April 11. A day later, Fukuoka locked up its wild-card spot with a series-closing triumph.