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The Sports Xchange

OVERVIEW

One of the best pure shooters in the draft, Eric Gordon wasn't the same player for the final two months of his freshman season, when he battled a wrist injury and put too much pressure on himself in the midst of a tumultuous situation in Bloomington, Ind.

Head coach Kelvin Sampson was replaced, but despite all the distractions, Gordon put together a season that further convinced pro scouts that soon could be among the NBA's elite.

Gordon became the first Indiana freshman to average more than 20 points per game (20.9) and the first Hoosier overall since Brian Evans averaged 21.2 in 1995-96. His 669 points scored was an IU and Big Ten Conference freshman record and ranked 10th highest overall in Indiana season history. His 231 free throws made are the third highest season total in school annals and his 277 attempts ranked fourth. His 70 3-point field goals made were the eighth most in a season in Hoosier lore.

Gordon was rated as the nation's top prospect as a senior at North Central High School. He was voted Mr. Basketball in Indiana and named Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year. The Jordan Brand All-American was an Indiana Junior All-Star named All-State in each of his final two seasons.

In 2006-07, Gordon led his team to a 21-5 record and an appearance in the Class 4A state title game. That year, he averaged 29 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists, shot 57.0 percent from the field, 46.2 percent from 3-point range and 88.1 percent from the line. He also averaged 26.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.2 blocks as a junior, shooting 50.9 percent from the floor and 85.9 percent from the line.

In summer league competition, Gordon started and had 16 points for the yellow squad in the 2007 Jordan Brand All-American Classic at Madison Square Garden. He also played in the McDonald's All-Star Game and had 13 points for the West squad. In addition, he attended the Adidas Basketball Experience in New Orleans. As a junior, he led the Indiana prep stars to a two-game sweep in the Indiana/Kentucky All-Star series, as he had 32 points in Bowling Green and 20 points in the contest in Indianapolis.

In his only season at Indiana, Gordon earned All-American and Freshman All-American first-team honors. He was an All-District V selection by the USBWA and was voted by the league's coaches as a first-team All-Big Ten Conference honoree, adding Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors.

Gordon was one of 24 players on the Wooden Award List and one of 30 players on the Naismith Award List. He appeared in 32 games, averaging 20.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He scored in double figures in all but two contests.

ANALYSIS

Positives: Pound-for-pound, one of the strongest guards in this draft...Combines power with good balance and body control angling to the basket while aggressively drawing contact ... Very active working under the basket and even "bigs" have their hands full containing him in the paint (101 rebounds in 31 games) ... Can easily elevate and finish at the rim ... Explosive open-court runner who is ideal working on the fast break, and gets around his man with his sudden burst around the corner ... Basketball savvy and can work around screens and create his own shot in "iso" situations...With his high release point and smooth, quick release, he has no problem getting the trajectory on his shot to prevent even the tallest of defenders from blocking attempts ... Unlike most guards, his power base allows him to establish position and play with his back to the basket ... Has little regard for his own safety running through traffic and is an outstanding foul shooter ... Natural scorer and scores in bunches...Has a well-conditioned body and should hold up to the pounding of an 82-game regular-season schedule ... ... Has good mechanics and a smooth release attempting free throws ... Classic gunslinger who needs just a little room and practically no time in getting his shot off, as his mechanics are textbook perfect, squaring his shoulders and quickly setting his feet to catch and shoot the ball suddenly ... Feeds off the opposition, and loves to mix it up with frontcourt types under the rim ... Has a versatile scoring game, as he can either pull up and fire away with his soft jumper or slash through the crowd to finish at the rim ... Once elevated, he demonstrates a powerful stride to the hoop ... Consistently able to draw contact playing in transition ... Very explosive making his shot coming off the dribble, as he might be only a freshman, but plays like a veteran, reaching the basket consistently when he drives through traffic using an explosive initial step ... Has more than enough range with his jump shot to hit them from NBA-caliber 3-point range ... Has incredible rise getting off the ground to put up his jumper or drive to the rim and embarrass forwards by dunking the ball emphatically on his opponent ... His mid-range game continues to improve, as he does a good job of setting his feet before unleashing the ball ... Keeps his body low moving through a crowd and has the body control to battle his way to the rim ... Defenders need to play him tight, as he is very explosive coming off screens to put up a quick and soft trey from the perimeter ... Simply too explosive for a forward to defend when he takes that sudden first step to slash to the basket ... With his low center of gravity, he has no problem weaving through traffic and knows how to change his pace to pull up and hit jumpers while the defender over-commits on the play ... Effective pulling up off the dribble or driving to the hoop on isolation plays designed to capitalize on his excellent court speed and aggressiveness ... Good face-up defender with the athleticism to out-muscle some wing players ... Has the lateral agility and reach to stay in front of perimeter shooters, along with the court presence not to commit too early to the shooter's array of moves ... It was surprising that he registered just 39 steals last year, as he has great anticipation skills to be a disruptive defender ... His hand quickness is the reason he has been able to create a high amount of turnovers ... Has that quick change-of-direction agility to recover and get back in the play on the rare occasions that he does over-commit ... Excellent rebounder for a guard and shows the elevation and extension, along with using his power base well to crash the boards ... Can play more than just a few minutes at the point and has good court vision and, when asked to handle the ball, he does it with a "pass first" mentality ... Even though he has the strength to overpower backcourt types, he can also fool them with finesse, as he is very good on crossovers and does a good job of utilizing head and shoulder fakes.

Negatives: A long season for the player and distractions from the coaching staff took a toll on the team as the season progressed, and Gordon seemed to struggle with shot selection late in the season (shot 39.9 percent from the field the last two months, compared to 45.5 percent shooting the first three) ... Battled a wrist injury that affected the accuracy on his jumper during that span ... Did not attack the rim as aggressively as he did the first half of the season, utilizing his outside shot too often (Shot 39.7 percent from 3-point range the first three months, but made just 25.3 percent of his treys the last two months) ... Has no problem driving to the basket through a crowd or bouncing outside to execute his shot from the perimeter, but has yet to develop a solid in-between game ... Has a good work ethic, but with the team's erratic season, compounded by his wrist injury, he tried to do too much and his shot selection was questionable at best ... Bit of a "tweener" -- not a natural for the point and a little undersized for the "2" spot, but compensates with quickness and strength to handle any backcourt opponent ... His explosiveness to the rim could be a detriment when he gets out of control in his drives to the goal ... His shot selection suffers when he fails to pull up and set his feet properly taking his jumpers from mid range ... Can handle the point, but does not really relish playing the position because of his natural scoring skills ... Had 115 turnovers and just 78 assists at Indiana ... Must do a better job of distributing the ball and goes to fade-away or step-back jumpers rather than passing out of the double-team.

Compares To: BEN GORDON-Chicago ... Eric Gordon has the NBA 3-point range and is deadly shooting from the outside when given space. He is explosive driving to the rim and drawing contact, showing good, repeatable form at the foul line. He has a very quick and high release to get his shot up and over defenders. His pull-up jumper is very smooth and effortless, but it is his lateral quickness as a slasher and his pure strength that lets him get through traffic with great success. He struggled with shot selection down the stretch, becoming too enamored with outside shots, but it was more due to his slow recovery from a December wrist injury and trying to do too much for a team in turmoil. He's a shooter but might not be considered a shooting guard due to lack of ideal size, but he compensates with a strong power base. At the same time, he's not a natural fit at the point. Like the Chicago Bulls' Ben Gordon, this Gordon is best served coming off the bench to give instant offense. The younger Gordon is the better defender and is smart enough to know how to make his teammates better.

CAREER NOTES

Gordon became the first freshman to average more than 20 points per game (20.9 per game) and the first Hoosier overall since Brian Evans averaged 21.2 in 1996 ... His 669 points scored was an IU and Big Ten Conference freshman record and that total was the tenth highest overall in school annals ... His 231 free throws made rank third on the school season-record list behind Don Schlundt (249 in 1952-53 and 234 in 1954-55) ... His 70 3-point shots made tied Tom Coverdale (2001-02) and Bracey Wright (2003-04) for eighth on the school season-record list ... His seven 3-pointers made vs. Chattanooga (11/12/07) rank seventh on the IU game-record chart ... His 33 points vs. Chattanooga were the most points scored by a Hoosier player in his debut, breaking George McGinnis' previous record of 26 set back in 1970 ... Scored the most points ever for an IU freshman in his Big Ten debut with 25 points at Iowa, surpassing Steve Alford's previous record of 24 points set in 1984.

2007-08 SEASON

First-team All-American selection by The NBA Draft Report and CBSSports.com, adding second-team honors from Sports Illustrated ... Freshman All-American first-team choice by The Sporting News ... USBWA All-District V first-team pick ... All-Big Ten Conference first-team choice and named the league's Freshman of the Year by the conference's coaches and media ... One of 24 players on the John Wooden Award All-American List and one of 30 players on the Naismith Award List (nation's top player) ... Appeared in 32 games, leading the conference with a 20.9-point scoring average, setting school and league season records for a freshman with 669 points ... Shot 43.3 percent from the field (184-of-425), 33.7 percent from 3-point range (70-of-208) and 83.4 percent from the foul line (231-of-277) ... Grabbed 104 rebounds (3.2 per game), as he handed out 78 assists (2.4 per game) and had 42 steals (1.3 per game) while blocking 20 shots (0.6 per game) ... Charged with 115 turnovers and 69 personal fouls ... Scored in double figures in all but the Tennessee State and Arkansas contests.

2007-08 GAME ANALYSIS

His 33 points vs. Chattanooga were the most points scored by a Hoosier player in his debut, breaking George McGinnis's previous record of 26 set back in 1970, as he added six rebounds, four assists and three steals ... Scored 21 points vs. Longwood, as his 54 points also topped McGinnis' first two games of 52 points 37 years ago ... Reached the 30-point mark for the second time in his first three games, posting 30 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor and a 12-of-13 effort from the free throw line vs. UNC Wilmington, as he also had six assists and three steals ... Named All-Tournament at the Chicago Invitational Challenge, as he had 31 points and six rebounds vs. Illinois State and 20 points vs. Xavier, as he made 12-of-12 charity tosses ... Played all 40 minutes vs. Georgia Tech, putting up 29 points and making 13-of-16 foul shots ... Scored 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including four three-pointers at Southern Illinois and was also one of three Hoosiers to post three blocks vs. the Salukis ... Was a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe vs. Tennessee State and returned from a wrist injury in fashion, pouring in 26 points, including 17 in the first half, on 8-of-13 shooting vs. Western Carolina, as he made six three-pointers vs. the Catamounts, including his first five attempts from long range ... Shot a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line en route to scoring 15 points to go along with his three steals and three assists vs. Coppin State ... Dropped in 22 points vs. Chicago State, 14 of them coming via another perfect performance from the free throw line (14-14) ... Scored the most points ever for an IU freshman in his Big Ten debut with 25 points at Iowa, surpassing Steve Alford's previous record of 24 points set in 1984, as he shot 7-of-11 from the floor and 9-for-11 at the line vs. the Hawkeyes ... Scored 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting, including 4-of-7 from down-town at Michigan ... Totaled 17 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field and 8-of-10 from the line vs. Illinois ... Scored 25 points on 8-of-17 shooting, including 5-of-11 from downtown vs. Penn State, as he also chipped in six rebounds and three assists vs. the Nittany Lions ... Did it all vs. Iowa, compiling 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, four steals, three blocks, three assists and two rebounds ... Added 14 points, three boards, four assists and two steals vs. Connecticut ... Did a little bit of everything at Wisconsin, compiling 16 points, four boards, three assists and two steals ... Exploded for 29 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 6-of-10 from beyond the arc vs. Northwestern, as he also knocked in 7-of-8 foul shots vs. the Wildcats ... Scored 19 points, including a 10-for-12 performance at the free throw line, at Illinois ... Notched 15 points with three 3-point shots at Ohio State ... Contributed 23 points on 7-of-17 shooting and 9-of-10 from the line in addition to four rebounds and three assists vs. Wisconsin ... Poured in 28 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field and 8-of-9 from the line vs. Michigan State, in addition to a team-high five rebounds ... Scored a team-high 22 points with four field goals made and a 13-of-15 showing from the line vs. Purdue ... Tallied 18 points in the win at Northwestern and went 13-for-16 at the free throw line ... Stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, six boards, three assists and three steals vs. Ohio State ... Scored 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the floor at Michigan State, as he contributed three boards, two assists and two steals as well vs. the Spartans ... Posted another 20-point performance, due in large part to a 12-for-14 showing from the foul line vs. Minnesota ... Registered his 19th 20-plus point game with 26 points at Penn State and launched 16 treys, which shares second in IU history ... Closed out his career with just eight points on 3-of-15 shooting vs. Arkansas in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

INJURY REPORT

2007-08: Suffered a wrist sprain vs. Tennessee State (12/03), missing most of the final three quarters and also sat out the next game vs. Kentucky (12/08). The injury would affect his scoring touch the rest of the season.

SUMMER BASKETBALL

Gordon started and had 16 points for the yellow squad in the 2007 Jordan Brand All-American Classic at Madison Square Garden ... Also played in the McDonalds All-American Game and had 13 points for the West squad ... In addition, he attended the Adidas Basketball Experience in New Orleans ... As a junior, he led the Indiana prep stars to a two-game sweep in the Indiana/Kentucky All-Star series, as he had 32 points in Bowling Green and 20 points in the contest in Indianapolis.

HIGH SCHOOL

Attended North Central (Indianapolis, Ind.) High School, playing basketball for head coach Doug Mitchell ... Rated as the nation's top prospect as a senior ... Voted Mr. Basketball in Indiana and named Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year ... The Jordan Brand All-American was an Indiana Junior All-Star named All-State in each of his final two seasons ... In 2006-07, Gordon led his team to a 21-5 record and an appearance in the Class 4A state title game, as he averaged 29 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists, shot 57.0 percent from the field, 46.2 percent from 3-point range and 88.1 percent from the line ... Averaged 26.1 points, 2.8 steals, 5.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks as a junior, shooting 50.9 percent from the floor and 85.9 percent from the line.

PERSONAL

General Studies major ... Son of Denise and Eric Gordon ... Born 12/25/88 ... Resides in Indianapolis, Indiana.