Reaching into Big 10 territory
By Colin Rajala
Trove sports corespondent
Eron Gordon received his first collegiate scholarship offers from Purdue and Indiana as a top-ten nationally ranked eighth grader, but his father, Eric Gordon Sr., encouraged him to be patient with the recruiting process and let more scholarship offers roll in before making what would be the biggest decision of his young life.
“I told him to take his time and see where he was at as he was getting ready to graduate high school,” Gordon Sr. said. “I wanted him to see what school, what team and what coaching staff best matched him and his playing style.”
Seton Hall turned out to be the school, team and coaching staff that best matched Eron, something that Gordon Sr. felt early on during his son’s visit to South Orange last fall.
The senior Gordon has had plenty of experience on the recruiting trail as his oldest son Eric Gordon Jr., now with the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans, verbally committed early in 2005 to play at the University of Illinois, before changing his mind to play at Indiana University in 2007. Gordon’s middle son, Evan, played two years at Gordon Sr.’s alma mater Liberty University, later transferring to play at Arizona State University, before finishing as a graduate transfer at Indiana.
“With my three boys, I spent all the time in the world with them just playing basketball, helping them to develop their games and helping them be the best person that they could be. I wanted Eron to wait and make the best choice for him and actually waiting was the best thing in the world. He got a chance to meet the people at Seton Hall, which he wouldn’t have met if he selected another school earlier.”
Given the ebbs and flows of Eron’s recruitment, Gordon Sr. can safely say patience was a virtue.
Eric Gordon inclination that Seton Hall would be the right choice for his youngest son was facilitated by a number of factors, including the South Orange community, the university’s on and off campus facilities, the coaching staff and its academics, which reminded him of Eron’s high school, Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, Indiana.
“I think the school is great. I like how the school is laid out – its not huge, it’s compact and it’s in a nice community…I like that it is close to New York City. Eron loves the skyline, it’s sort of like a hobby for him because he’s done a lot of traveling and has had a chance to see plenty of skylines, but nothing can compare to New York’s.”
Most importantly Gordon Sr. felt comfortable with the coaching staff, which increasingly gained his trust along the way as the entire staff made a point to watch his son play last fall.
“With Eron, I wanted to make sure that we knew the coaching staff real well and I felt comfortable turning my child over to them…Shaheen (Holloway) has believed in Eron’s abilities since day one and he made sure the staff visited and built a rapport. Relationships are obviously important and they really built it up,” the father noted.
Head Coach Kevin Willard and Associate Head Coach Shaheen Holloway answered all of the familiy’s questions, making sure it wasn’t just a “one way conversation,” according to Gordon Sr, who complemented the staff on their ability to explain how Eron would fit in at The Hall, communicating their opinions about his strengths and his opportunities to get better.
“They were very clear in how they utilized all their players and clear on their expectations for Eron academically and athletically.”
Gordon Sr. sees Eron’s primary strengths as his speed, ability to get up and down the court and score in a hurry.
“With all of my kids that has been something that they have been able to do and Eron can really fill it up. Along with his ability to score, he can also make plays for others.”
He sees the defensive end and Eron’s need to become a better on ball defender as the biggest areas of opportunity to improve upon.
“Its funny because if you see him play, his man may not score a lot and Eron may lock him up, but as a coach I’d like to see whomever Eron is guarding struggle to make passes and struggle to get the ball up and down the court. He needs to increase his defensive pressure on the ball.”
Eric Gordon sees his son being an important cog on a team because he has learned to play several different types of roles when needed. "Eron adapts his game and style of play to whatever his teams needs because his biggest goal has been to be successful", according to Gordon Sr.
Beyond Eron being able score or distribute to help his team, he has also proven willing to do the little things like earn extra possessions by causing turnovers or grabbing loose balls or offensive rebounds.
In addition to Eron being able to change his style of play to suit his team’s needs, Gordon Sr. thinks his son has a knack of fitting in with his teammates both on and off the court because of his opportunities to compete and play with so many personalities.
The father does not take all of the credit for Eron’s ability to adapt to his teammates or adapt his game as needed. The youngest sibling has learned from his older brothers who have distinctly different personalities. "Eron’s personality falls in the middle of his older brother's and he has been able to learn from their different styles of play and their personalities, maturing tremendously in the last year and a half,” according to Gordon Sr.
Ultimately, Eric Gordon sees Seton Hall as a place where Eron will continue to grow and get better as a student athlete, noting that he should be able to “help provide some opportunities that the team may be able to take advantage of.”
While Gordon Sr. and his wife Denise are excited to have some peace and quiet at home this summer after they drop Eron off at Seton Hall for summer school sessions, the empty nest may take some getting used to.
“We have been all over the country, but I am lucky Eron is only an hour and a half flight away. Going to Seton Hall is a great opportunity for him to keep growing his game and maturing as a man and I am excited to watch what he will do in South Orange.”
Clearly Pirate Nation shares those same feelings.
By Colin Rajala
Trove sports corespondent
Eron Gordon received his first collegiate scholarship offers from Purdue and Indiana as a top-ten nationally ranked eighth grader, but his father, Eric Gordon Sr., encouraged him to be patient with the recruiting process and let more scholarship offers roll in before making what would be the biggest decision of his young life.
“I told him to take his time and see where he was at as he was getting ready to graduate high school,” Gordon Sr. said. “I wanted him to see what school, what team and what coaching staff best matched him and his playing style.”
Seton Hall turned out to be the school, team and coaching staff that best matched Eron, something that Gordon Sr. felt early on during his son’s visit to South Orange last fall.
The senior Gordon has had plenty of experience on the recruiting trail as his oldest son Eric Gordon Jr., now with the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans, verbally committed early in 2005 to play at the University of Illinois, before changing his mind to play at Indiana University in 2007. Gordon’s middle son, Evan, played two years at Gordon Sr.’s alma mater Liberty University, later transferring to play at Arizona State University, before finishing as a graduate transfer at Indiana.
“With my three boys, I spent all the time in the world with them just playing basketball, helping them to develop their games and helping them be the best person that they could be. I wanted Eron to wait and make the best choice for him and actually waiting was the best thing in the world. He got a chance to meet the people at Seton Hall, which he wouldn’t have met if he selected another school earlier.”
Given the ebbs and flows of Eron’s recruitment, Gordon Sr. can safely say patience was a virtue.
Eric Gordon inclination that Seton Hall would be the right choice for his youngest son was facilitated by a number of factors, including the South Orange community, the university’s on and off campus facilities, the coaching staff and its academics, which reminded him of Eron’s high school, Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, Indiana.
“I think the school is great. I like how the school is laid out – its not huge, it’s compact and it’s in a nice community…I like that it is close to New York City. Eron loves the skyline, it’s sort of like a hobby for him because he’s done a lot of traveling and has had a chance to see plenty of skylines, but nothing can compare to New York’s.”
Most importantly Gordon Sr. felt comfortable with the coaching staff, which increasingly gained his trust along the way as the entire staff made a point to watch his son play last fall.
“With Eron, I wanted to make sure that we knew the coaching staff real well and I felt comfortable turning my child over to them…Shaheen (Holloway) has believed in Eron’s abilities since day one and he made sure the staff visited and built a rapport. Relationships are obviously important and they really built it up,” the father noted.
Head Coach Kevin Willard and Associate Head Coach Shaheen Holloway answered all of the familiy’s questions, making sure it wasn’t just a “one way conversation,” according to Gordon Sr, who complemented the staff on their ability to explain how Eron would fit in at The Hall, communicating their opinions about his strengths and his opportunities to get better.
“They were very clear in how they utilized all their players and clear on their expectations for Eron academically and athletically.”
Gordon Sr. sees Eron’s primary strengths as his speed, ability to get up and down the court and score in a hurry.
“With all of my kids that has been something that they have been able to do and Eron can really fill it up. Along with his ability to score, he can also make plays for others.”
He sees the defensive end and Eron’s need to become a better on ball defender as the biggest areas of opportunity to improve upon.
“Its funny because if you see him play, his man may not score a lot and Eron may lock him up, but as a coach I’d like to see whomever Eron is guarding struggle to make passes and struggle to get the ball up and down the court. He needs to increase his defensive pressure on the ball.”
Eric Gordon sees his son being an important cog on a team because he has learned to play several different types of roles when needed. "Eron adapts his game and style of play to whatever his teams needs because his biggest goal has been to be successful", according to Gordon Sr.
Beyond Eron being able score or distribute to help his team, he has also proven willing to do the little things like earn extra possessions by causing turnovers or grabbing loose balls or offensive rebounds.
In addition to Eron being able to change his style of play to suit his team’s needs, Gordon Sr. thinks his son has a knack of fitting in with his teammates both on and off the court because of his opportunities to compete and play with so many personalities.
The father does not take all of the credit for Eron’s ability to adapt to his teammates or adapt his game as needed. The youngest sibling has learned from his older brothers who have distinctly different personalities. "Eron’s personality falls in the middle of his older brother's and he has been able to learn from their different styles of play and their personalities, maturing tremendously in the last year and a half,” according to Gordon Sr.
Ultimately, Eric Gordon sees Seton Hall as a place where Eron will continue to grow and get better as a student athlete, noting that he should be able to “help provide some opportunities that the team may be able to take advantage of.”
While Gordon Sr. and his wife Denise are excited to have some peace and quiet at home this summer after they drop Eron off at Seton Hall for summer school sessions, the empty nest may take some getting used to.
“We have been all over the country, but I am lucky Eron is only an hour and a half flight away. Going to Seton Hall is a great opportunity for him to keep growing his game and maturing as a man and I am excited to watch what he will do in South Orange.”
Clearly Pirate Nation shares those same feelings.
