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Posts Tagged Eric Gordon

FanHouse ranks IU No. 8 in its Premature BlogPoll

by in Media | July 13th, 2007

hoosiers.jpgBecause it’s never too early to start talking about rankings — or having some of your own for that matter — let me direct you over to FanHouse. Its college hoops bloggers have compiled a “Premature Hoops BlogPoll” for the upcoming men’s basketball season.

The poll ranked 26 teams. IU came in at No. 8 on the list.

How good will Eric Gordon be? Tell me that and I’ll tell you how good Indiana will be.

Gordon, one of the nation’s best incoming freshmen, verbally committed to Illinois before changing his mind and heading to Indiana, and that changed the balance of power in the Big Ten as well as assuring that things will get heated when the Hoosiers visit Champaign.

But Gordon isn’t all Indiana has. D.J. White, a 6-foot-9, 250-pound shot blocker and a very tough presence inside, is back, as is guard Armon Bassett, who showed a great deal of promise as a freshman last season. Although the Hoosiers will miss the departed Roderick Wilmont, this team should be significantly better than it was last year.

It’s a quick analysis for sure, but it gets the job done — save for a JaMarcus Ellis mention. (Which a commenter altered them to under the post.) As far as other Big Ten school are concerned, FanHouse ranked Michigan State at No. 9. Other than that, no other Big Ten schools made the cut.

I’d think that once the preseason AP poll drops, IU will be somewhere in the No. 7 to No. 14 range.

Thoughts anyone?

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Seth Davis sings the praises of Devin Ebanks

by in Recruiting | July 9th, 2007

davis.jpgIf you think clicking on a national writer’s column and reading a fawning take on a soon-to-be Hoosier is ever going to get old, well, you’re wrong. The latest props for an incoming IU recruit? Seth Davis’ take on Devin Ebanks, IU’s top 2008 get:

Skinny: Every kid growing up in Queens dreams of playing his college ball in … Bloomington, Indiana? That’s where Ebanks is headed next season, and the Hoosiers faithful will love what they’re getting. Ebanks reminds me of a young Rudy Gay, but mentally he’s ahead of where Gay was at this point. For example, the gold medal game at the USA Basketball Festival tipped off at 8:30 in the morning. Most of the players were barely awake when the game began, but Ebanks put himself through a hard warmup routine (he listened to an iPod as he went through the paces) and was the only guy ready to go when play started. As IU coach Kelvin Sampson likes to say, that shows he’s got a little mud in his blood.

Ain’t it great? Attracting top talent is one thing. Getting kids like Eric Gordon and Ebanks, players who seem to care every bit as much about intense self-improvement as their coach, well, what more can you ask for? Put your crimson shades on — that future is awfully bright.

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Mike DeCourcy’s top 5 for next year’s draft

by in Media | July 9th, 2007

mayo.jpgWhile we usually don’t put much stock into lists or pure speculation, this particular instance caught our eye. Mike DeCourcy, who covers college hoops (and does it quite well) for the Sporting News, listed his take on five potential guys who could go No. 1 in next year’s draft. Our boy, Eric Gordon, wasn’t among those listed, but we’re fine with that.

What we’re not fine with is who was listed at No. 1:

1. O.J. Mayo, PG, Southern Cal. He’s been famous so long that he faces a critical backlash, but Mayo is an overwhelming offensive player.

The first problem here is Mayo being listed as a point guard. If being a “me-first” guy makes you a point guard, then Mayo fits the bill.

The second problem here, and it’s been a problem for quite sometime, is that the hype with Mayo outweighs the substance. This kid has been touted as the next big thing since he first arrived on the scene as a 7th grader at Rose Hill Christian.

He’s no longer the next big thing. He’s certainly good, but others have gotten better.

If watching the best of the best in this year’s McDonald’s All-American game was any indication, I’d put Derrick Rose, Gordon and Jerryd Bayless all ahead of O.J. as better basketball players.

More importantly to us, but probably not to NBA scouts and executives, you won’t find Rose, Gordon or Bayless involved in off the court problems.

So, what do you think about Mayo? Is he worth all of the hype? Or is he just another out of control athlete headed for more trouble?

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Tentative IU recruit barnstorming tour dates

by in Schedule | July 7th, 2007

Eric GordonGet out your calenders and save the date. Six incoming IU players (Eric Gordon, Jamarcus Ellis, Eli Holman, Jordan Crawford, Brandon McGee and DeAndre Thomas) will be coming to a gym near you for the annual IU recruit barnstorming tour.

Tentative dates, but no times or locations, have been announced:

  • August 2: New Albany
  • August 3: Batesville
  • August 7: North Daviess
  • August 9: Muncie

There will also be a stop in Indianapolis. We’ll have more details as soon as they become available.

Among the things we’ll be interested in seeing:

  • Is Jordan Crawford ready to step in and contribute immediately?
  • Is Jamarcus Ellis the slasher and playmaker that IU desperately needs?
  • Has DeAndre Thomas trimmed down enough to be a factor? What do we have in Brandon McGee and Eli Holman?
  • Is Eric Gordon really THAT good? Wait, we already know the answer.

(Via The Hoosier Scoop.)

July 10th update: According to a report on Peegs, there will be a game August 4th in Fort Wayne. Additionally, the game in New Albany will be held at New Albany High School. Normally that game is held at IU Southeast.

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This just in: Eric Gordon is good at basketball

by in Media | July 3rd, 2007

gordon1.jpgYour friend and mine, Doug Gottlieb over at the World Wide Leader, recently ranked the top prospects for the 2008 NBA draft. (Free Insider!) And, he’s got our boy Eric Gordon at No. 1 on the list.

1. Eric Gordon, Indiana
Gordon would have been the first guard taken this year. He has deep range, a midrange game that is developing and he will finish in traffic as well. Unlike some of his fellow guards in this class, Gordon has no issues with sharing the ball on the floor or baggage off the floor. He is a huge reason for believing that IU is back. But for how long?

This is good for IU fans in the sense that EJ is getting some crazy dap from ESPN even before the season starts. It’s refreshing to see an IU player have such an high profile — when was the last time we could claim that? However, this does nothing but reaffirm the fact that Gordon is probably a one-and-done.

Let’s enjoy him while we can, shall we?

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Bruce Almighty loses another

by in Opponents | June 28th, 2007

Bruce WeberIt’s hard to imagine a scenario where an IU fan would actually be happy about a five-star recruit choosing Kentucky as his college destination.

Yesterday, when DeAndre Liggins from Washington High joined the long list of Chicagoland kids who have spurned Illini for greener pastures, it was hard to not be giddy with the continuing demise of the Illinois program and particularly, head coach Bruce Weber.

The list of recent prospects who have spurned the Illini, which continues to grow each year, is as follows: Sherron Collins, Julian Wright, Derrick Rose, Evan Turner, Jon Scheyer and Shaun Livingston.

Add this list to the failure to keep Eric Gordon in the fold and what do you get? A coach on the hot seat.

Might be time to start updating your resume, Bruce.

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