Eric Gordon

Eric Gordon. I love him. You love him (unless you're an Illinois fan, in which case, nobody cares what you think). He's a sure fire lottery pick, the second leading freshman scorer in the country, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and a member of the All Big Ten Team. He is the epitome of calm and collected. He is as selfless as big name players come. So, why on earth would he even consider turning down millions and coming back to IU, a school whose program is undergoing yet another year of turmoil on and off the court?

Reason numero uno: His ball handling skills. Young Mr. Gordon is almost always the best athlete on the court. He can split the defense with the greatest of ease. Well, he can fifty percent of the time. The other half, he bounces the ball off of his foot, and it goes rolling to a person in the wrong colored jersey. If IU fans have one legitimate gripe about Eric, it's his turnovers. Some of his turnovers aren't all his fault. He makes very quick passes, passes that will be caught in the NBA. In college, however, only a few of them are. He gets the turnover on his stat sheet because of the poor hands of his teammates. However, most of his turnovers are the variety described above; he simply bounces the ball off of his foot or makes a bad dribble. If he's doing that against Big Ten caliber defenders, how can he expect to get to the hole against NBA defenders?

Reason Nummer zwei: His shot. I know what you're thinking. "Gordon has unlimited range and is a great shooter." You're right. He does, and is. He hasn't been for the last month, though. Could it be because of his wrist injury? Maybe. Maybe not. Am I grasping at straws, hoping he'll stay another year? Perhaps.

Reason number three: Us. And by 'us,' I mean IU fans. Eric, we love you. In all honesty, me giving reasons why you should stay is beyond selfish. I (and we) should count our lucky stars that you ever came here to begin with. But, c'mon. You know you like it when we chant your name at Assembly Hall. Nobody in the NBA will ever do that for you, I can all but guarantee it. The only player whose name I've ever heard chanted during an NBA game was Reggie Miller. No offense, but you aren't Reggie Miller, and you won't ever be. So, how 'bout you stay one more year, basking in the glory that only IU basketball fans can give? We're the best fans in the country, ask Pat Forde. You give us a couple years of basketball, and we'll give you a lifetime of love. You can't put a price on that. Or at least I hope you can't.

Reason four: The coach. "What?" you may be saying. He came here because of Hewhosahllremainunnamed, why would he stay for an as of yet unnamed coach? Because, that's why. The future coach may be a very good coach. Maybe, if we're lucky, a great coach. Do you think Mr. Gordon can learn a thing or two about basketball from Bruce Pearl? I do. Eric seems like a ridiculously humble kid, so I bet he would say so too. He should stay to see who the future coach is, and if he thinks he can learn from the new coach, should stay for his sophomore season.

In all honesty, there's only one even semi-good reason on this list, and that's the first one. Eric is guaranteed millions of dollars to leave this year, and he'd be crazy not to take it. It'd be selfish of IU fans to ask for him to stay. This season has been a massive disappointment, but it most certainly isn't Eric's fault. He's been all that we could have reasonably expected and more. When an off night still involves twenty points, you're a damn good player. He plays good, at times great, defense, isn't a drama queen, and represents Indiana University incredibly well, far better than his former coach. Even without all the drama involving Coach "I can't put down the damned phone" Sampson, he could have left with the blessing of most of IU nation. When you take into account the coaching situation, all of IU nation should be giving this young man their blessing to head into the NBA. Here's hoping the Pacers get lucky in the lottery.