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Revision as of 11:56, 27 January 2007 by Bender235 (talk | contribs) (rvt; IP vandalism)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Eric Gordon (born December 25, 1988 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is an American basketball player. The 6-4 (1.93m) 220 lb. (99 kg) Gordon is playing his senior season at North Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, and has committed to play at Indiana University after backing out of his verbal commitment to attend the University of Illinois. He is ranked among the top five high school basketball players in the nation and has been called “the most complete offensive high school arsenal since Kobe Bryant” by some in the media. Gordon is close friends with Derrick Rose of Chicago's Simeon Vocational High School, who is a top ranked high school basketball player of his own.
Recruiting Controversy
In November 2005, junior Eric Gordon verbally committed to the University of Illinois. After former Oklahoma head coach Kelvin Sampson took the men's basketball coaching job at Indiana University, Indiana began to recruit Gordon for its 2007 class. In October 2006, Gordon decommited from the University of Illinois and gave Indiana University his verbal commitment. It is an unwritten rule within NCAA recruiting that once a player commits to a particular school, other schools do not pursue that player. Commitments are not binding until the player signs a letter of intent.
Many do not realize that Gordon repeatedly told the press and Weber he was still planning to attend the University of Illinois, even using the large message board Illiniboard.com to famously say, "Everything is fine, good night." to thousands of Illini fans. These actions caused the Illini team to miss out on other high quality players who would refuse to sit the bench behind the #2 player in the country. The ethics of Eric Gordon Jr., Eric Gordon Sr., and Kelvin Sampson are in question. Father and son both told Illinois' coaches they were still committed to Illinois until one week before national signing day in the fall. Kelvin Sampson also hired three Gordon family friends onto his coaching staff during the summer of 2006.
This saga has tarnished the already muddy reputation of Sampson, who recently came under fire from the NCAA for over 500 illegal phone calls to recruits while at Oklahoma University. In addition to infuriating Weber, Purdue coach Matt Painter and Michigan State coach Tom Izzo have made comments regarding the underhanded nature of Sampson's actions.
References
- Gordon seals IU deal with signing
- Gordon opts for role as Hoosier Hero
- Eric Gordon: Before the Storm
- Weber taking high road in Gordon saga