Rondell Gardner, a senior at Roosevelt Career and Technical High School--a school located in the heart of a city that's on life support--has a way out of Gary, Indiana. To him, it's an orange leather ball. Ancilla College (Indiana) has offered a scholarship; Indiana University Northwest has him on its radar; and Northern Michigan has expressed an interest. Gardner has what basketball coaches want. However, much like the rest of his Roosevelt Panther basketball teammates, Gardner may not have what he needs to accept their scholarships--and that's the academic foundation from high school to succeed in college. Gardner shares the same hoop dreams of many tall teenagers with a decent jump shot. He thinks he can cut it at a big-time college basketball program. He's not so sure about the college classroom, however. When Lisa Heath noticed her son falling behind in school--spending way too much time in the dean's office rather than math class--she pulled him out of a full-day school schedule at Roosevelt. Gardner is now a "home-bound" student; he attends Roosevelt from 8:30 a.m. until noon then returns to the house on the quiet one-way street for one-on-one lessons with a teacher. With that setup, Gardner's grades have improved. Fans probably will not hear Rondell Gardner's name during the madness of NCAA playoff basketball next season--his recruiting status is modest compared to the true blue-chippers--but he hopes that one day he'll play on the big stage. And it will be a hard-bound book, not an orange leather basketball, that can get him there.