Eric Gordon has been through a lot the last two years.
The state of Indiana's 2007 Mr. Basketball verbally committed to Illinois before eventually deciding to play collegiately for Indiana, a decision that drew the rancor of seemingly his entire home state.
At Indiana, Gordon got off to a torrid start by scoring 30 or more points in three of his first four games. But his only season in college went downhill from there. He injured his wrist at the end of February and never reached 30 again.
About the time of Gordon's injury, coach Kelvin Sampson was embroiled in a recruiting scandal that resulted in his forced resignation. Gordon's numbers continued to slide under interim coach Dan Dakich as the guard known as one of the best shooters in the USA shot 18.6% from three-point territory.
Still, Gordon averaged 20.9 points a game en route to being named all-Big Ten, and his name was mentioned with other great freshmen such as Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley.
Now fully healed, Gordon is expected to be a top 10 pick in Thursday's NBA draft.
"It's been a learning process,"
Gordon says. "We had a great season (at Indiana) that didn't end the way we wanted, but I'm excited to have a chance to play with the best players in the world. Not many people get to do that."
Gordon is an explosive combo-guard who uses his strength and varied skill-set (he can score from close, far or in between) to keep defenders off balance. At 6-3 he is considered undersized at shooting guard, but he makes up for a height deficit by outmuscling taller players and beating them to spots.
"If you have to respect him from outside and then he blows right by you, there isn't much you can do about it no matter how long you are,"
says Bryan Blake, the NBA's assistant director of scouting. "Gordon was one of my favorite guards this year, and he was unbelievable in our pre-draft camp."
Shooting has always come naturally, says Gordon, who does not refute the notion that he is the best shooter in the draft. "I'm confident,"
he says. "Shooting is definitely a good skill to have because it makes your career last longer, but I try to be a complete player."
If Blake is right, Gordon's last two tumultuous years will be long forgotten by the end of his productive career as a big-time scorer in the NBA.
