Eric Gordon is a standout basketball player who honed his game while playing one season with the Indiana University Hoosiers before going on to contribute to the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA.
Born on Christmas Day 1988, newborn Eric Gordon, Jr. is an Indianapolis native who was destined for great basketball fame in the area of his upbringing. After excelling as a basketball player at North Central High School in Indianapolis, the 6’3″ guard opted to play at Indiana University (IU) in Bloomington, IN. Before committing to IU Gordon, who was coming Off an Exceptional High The school season in which he averaged 29 points per game while shooting 57% from the field was the subject of an intense recruiting battle between IU and the University of Illinois.
The intricate recruiting issues between the University of Illinois and Indiana University stem from Eric Gordon backing out of an initial verbal commitment he made to Illinois in November 2005 (at the beginning of his junior year of high school). About a year later, in November 2006, Eric Gordon officially signed a letter of intent to play basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers. The change in commitment was driven primarily by the change in coaching staff at Indiana University, which made the school a more attractive option for Gordon and his family. While the ethics behind recruiting a player who had previously made a verbal commitment elsewhere was disputed, oral commitments are not regulated by the NCAA and therefore no official rules were broken.
Eric Gordon made the most of his one year of transitioning college basketball between playing high school and playing professionally. During his freshman season at Indiana, he averaged over 20 points per game, which was strong enough to lead the Big Ten Conference in scoring. Before tapering off later in the season, the Hoosiers got off to their best start in years as they opened the 2007-2008 season with 17 wins and 1 loss. An injured wrist affected the quality of play Gordon was able to produce during the second half of the season and ultimately contributed to a dismal showing in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, where the Indiana Hoosiers were eliminated in the first round game for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks.
Post-season accolades received by Eric Gordon included First Team Big Team Conference honors, Big Ten Freshmen of the Year, and Third Team All-American. On June 26, 2008, the LA Clippers selected Eric Gordon from Indiana University with the number seven overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.
