Eric Gordon

Eric Gordon Jr.
College	Indiana University
Sport	Basketball
Position	Shooting guard
Jersey #	23
Class	College Freshman
Nickname	EJ, The Real 23, Air Gordon
Career	2007–present
Height	6 ft 3.5 in (1.92 m)
Weight	215 lb (98 kg)
Nationality	USA
Born	(1988-12-25) December 25, 1988 Anderson, Indiana
High school	North Central High School, Indianapolis, Indiana

Eric Gordon Jr. (born December 25, 1988 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is an American basketball player. He is known, in part, as the subject of a major recruiting battle between the University of Illinois and Indiana University in the spring and summer of 2006; because of Gordon's talent and high level of play that year, his recruitment was the subject of a great deal of media coverage.

Gordon currently plays basketball at Indiana and is considered one of the top collegiate players in the nation.

High School Career

Gordon played high school basketball at North Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. He led North Central to the Indiana 4A title game his senior year and averaged 29 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 57.0% from the field and 46.2% from three-point range. Gordon was named Indiana's Mr. Basketball for 2007 as well as a McDonald's All-American.

Recruitment

After making an early verbal commitment in late 2005, Gordon's recruitment was frequently discussed in the summer of 2006, as his contact with Indiana University led to frequent rumors that he intended to renege on his original commitment to the University of Illinois. Gordon's recruitment was particularly high-profile because of his high level of play in summer tournaments and the high ranking given to him by major recruiting services.

Early verbal commitment

On November 30, 2005, during his junior year of high school, Gordon made a verbal commitment to play basketball for Bruce Weber at the University of Illinois, selecting the Illini over overtures from Duke and Notre Dame. Gordon and his family cited their comfort with Bruce Weber, the location of Illinois' campus, and the success of former Illini guards Deron Williams and Luther Head in the NBA as reasons for their decision.

Communication with Indiana

On February 15, 2006, Sports Illustrated reported that Mike Davis, then the head coach at Indiana University, intended to resign after the 2005-06 season, due in part to a lack of support after the team failed to make the NCAA Tournament in 2004 and 2005. Indiana subsequently hired Kelvin Sampson as the new men's basketball coach in March of 2006.

During the subsequent offseason, Gordon was recruited by Sampson's staff after Gordon told Sampson he was still interested in Indiana. It was rumored in July of 2006 that Gordon had decided to vacate his verbal commitment because of concerns about the strength of Illinois' incoming class, but Gordon stated that although he was a childhood fan of the Hoosiers and was considering Indiana, he was still committed to Illinois. That month, Gordon played with Derrick Rose, currently of the Memphis Tigers and a top-5 recruit, in an attempt to convince Rose to join him at Illinois.

Decommitment and signing

Rumors of an impending decommitment continued into the start of the 2006-07 academic year, fueled in part by Gordon's rise to the top of some services' rankings of high school basketball players. On September 2, 2006, Gordon and Rose made an unofficial visit to Indiana to scrimmage with current Hoosier players, fueling further speculation that Gordon would switch his commitment. Six weeks later, on October 13, 2006, Eric Gordon Sr. announced that his son had officially decided to change his commitment. Gordon signed a National Letter of Intent with Indiana on November 8, 2006.

Aftermath

Gordon's announcement gave Indiana a very strong 2007 recruiting class, ranked by some analysts as the third-best incoming class in the country. Kelvin Sampson and Bruce Weber both received criticism from fellow coaches for failing to communicate with one another about Gordon's recruitment. Although the NCAA does not regulate verbal commitments or the recruitment of orally committed players, some observers stated that Sampson had acted unethically in recruiting a committed player without first contacting Weber.

The timing of the switch was particularly damaging for Illinois, which had expected Gordon to be part of its class and was left without a shooting guard at a time when most other guards had made verbal commitments. The Illini later received a verbal commitment from shooting guard Quinton Watkins of Compton, CA, the following December, but he would not play for the Illini, eventually deciding to enroll at San Diego State.

Gordon was welcomed by Indiana fans, but received sharp criticism from Illinois fans for the timing of his decommitment. Eric Gordon Sr. stated in October 2006 that his son had received death threats as a result of his decision. On February 7, 2008, Gordon and Indiana played Illinois in Urbana; Gordon and his family were the targets of loud booing and taunting throughout the game, and some witnesses reported that the Gordon parents were hit with ice and orange and blue beads near the game's end. Illinois' athletic director, Ron Guenther, apologized for the incident, calling fan behavior "disappointing and intolerable."