The drift of Eric Gordon from peerless national regard and King Hoosier to passive, disconsolate underachiever, a trend that had a sad culmination last night in Raleigh, was one of the most disheartening Big Ten stories of the year. The player that the Hoosier nation considered a recruiting holy grail who would inevitably lead their program back to national prominence will exit Bloomington as a victim of hype and the coach who failed him.
A Tacit Mutiny
Watching Gordon and many of his teammates’ listless, half-hearted performances in Indianapolis last weekend it was evident that with a few exceptions, D.J. White most notably, the team was struggling to maintain full investment in the late season at hand. Though the team’s loyalty to their fallen coach was admirable, that many of them appeared to be participating in what was a tacit mutiny was hard to watch, harder to rationalize.
This was especially true in light of the continued warrior efforts of the program’s most loyal member, senior White, who had either the maturity, pride, or deeper allegiance to Cream and Crimson that allowed him to transcend the Sampson distractions and give full, passionate effort. Unfortunately, even players of his heart and talent cannot succeed without a few good men by his side.
The Raleigh Eyesore
Lack of effort is always most noticeable on the defensive end of the floor and in the realm of rebounding, loose ball retrieval, and movement without the ball on offense. In all of these departments all but White, Armon Bassett, and Lance Stemler failed to engage. Sonny Weems’ career game, the Razorbacks’ 49-point second half, the rebounding deficit, and the number of times Hoosier players resembled statues in their half-court offensive sets all pointed to a team that was, to a great degree, merely going through the motions.
While the immaturity of Jamarcus Ellis and DeAndre Thomas had obvious precedents, Gordon’s inability or unwillingness to join White in the good fight for Hoosier pride was harder to witness. Unlike true superstars, at no point last night did it appear Gordon even wanted the ball. Certainly Arkansas was defending him with interest, but great players have a way of willing themselves through screens and double-teams, getting the ball, and making plays despite the concentrated efforts to deny the same.
Instead Gordon settled for bad shots, failed to pursue the ball, didn’t rebound, threw only one assist, and generally looked like a guy who wanted the pressure, the game, indeed the season to just go away. While Gordon’s conspicuous flame-out was partly the result of Sampson who enabled him rather than challenged him to add dimension to his game over the season, it also does not reflect well on the will and desire aspects of his game.
Too Bad He Didn’t Stick With Weber
Given the remarkable improvement Weber fostered with Demetri McCamey over the season, it is clear Gordon would’ve been better served in Champaign from a basketball development standpoint. And given Sampson’s abuse of the program, the resulting victimization of his players, and the season’s spin-out there is no question Gordon made the wrong choice of college coach.
While Gordon can distance himself quickly from he and his father’s bad decision with an NBA escape hatch ready and waiting, it remains to be seen whether his game will evidence more than just great potential and will mature into something truly great.
Perhaps his millions in the bank will mollify him, but something says his NBA bench-sitting next year and beyond will give Gordon many pained moments to think about the what ifs and disappointments of his short college career and the coach who so profoundly failed him.
