[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ScoutHoops.com$

7/25/05

In the win over the New York Panthers, which featured Lance Thomas.....Gordon had 18 points.

Gordon maintains that Illinois is the leader and he is listing Missouri, Indiana, Miami and Notre Dame.

link

7/25/05

big time tournament
Gordon feels for IU coach
Basketball star says players are reluctant to commit to a coach on the hot seat.

<!-- SIDEBAR --><!-- ARTICLE SIDEBAR --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=210 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=10></TD><TD><!--MAIN PHOTO--><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD>Soaring: Eric Gordon, a guard who will be a junior at North Central High School, is drawing keen recruiting interest from college basketball powerhouses Illinois and Duke. -- Steve Sanchez / File photo
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By Jeff Rabjohns
<SCRIPT ********************><!--document.write(''+'jeff.rabjohns'+'@'+'indystar.com'+'');//--></SCRIPT>jeff.rabjohns@indystar.com


LAS VEGAS -- The most highly touted basketball recruit in Indiana who has yet to make an oral commitment is North Central High School's Eric Gordon.

One of the top 10 players in the nation in the Class of 2007, the 6-3 shooting guard has Illinois at the top of a long list of colleges he's considering. Indiana University is among his options, but the uncertainty surrounding Indiana University coach Mike Davis might prompt Gordon to leave the state.

Gordon said players hear rumors and know the IU administration isn't certain to keep Davis beyond the 2005-06 season.

"That's probably the reason why he's losing recruits," Gordon said after helping Spiece Indy Heat remain unbeaten at the Reebok Big Time Tournament.

"We all like him, but it's just that we don't know if he's going to be there or not and, obviously, that's big."

Earlier this year, Lawrence North 7-foot center Greg Oden, the No. 1 player in the Class of 2006, and teammate Mike Conley, a highly regarded point guard, committed to Ohio State. Last week, Andrean power forward Luke Harangody, whose father played football at IU and whose brother is headed to Bloomington to play football this season, picked Notre Dame.

Carmel's Josh McRoberts, considered by some the No. 1 player in the Class of 2005, is headed to Duke.

While players sign with a school, a key element in the decision-making process revolves around the school's coach. Gordon acknowledged it's difficult for a high school star to commit to playing at a school when so much uncertainty surrounds a coach.

"I'd like to play for a coach that has a contract to be there for a long time, to be there for the four years I'm going to be there," Gordon said. "It's going to be a struggle for (Davis)."

Battle lines

Illinois and Duke have gone head-to-head for several players in the past, and it seems a battle is brewing over Gordon.

Each time Indy Heat has played, Illinois coach Bruce Weber and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski have been in prominent positions in the stands.

College coaches are prohibited by NCAA rules from commenting on players they're recruiting, but a school's interest can be judged by the number of times the head coach, instead of an assistant, shows up at a player's game.

Mayo considering IU?

IU's Davis has paid close attention to the D-I Greyhounds. The team features the top-ranked player in the 2007 class in shooting guard O.J. Mayo, and two other top-20 players in 6-6 forward Bill Walker and 6-11 center Keenan Ellis.

The trio, also high school teammates at North College Hill in Cincinnati, has said it is a package deal, but it's difficult to sort through varying comments the group has made at different stops throughout the summer.

At ABCD Camp in New Jersey earlier this month, Mayo said he is seriously considering options other than college to satisfy the NBA's new rule that players aren't eligible for the draft until a year after high school. Mayo said he may go to the NBA Development League if significant endorsement money is waiting upon his high school graduation, or go to prep school for a year or spend a year at a training academy, such as IMG in Florida.

When asked if Indiana was a legitimate option, Mayo said, "Most definitely. Everyone has a chance. I don't have a list. With me, Billy and Keenan, everyone has a chance."

Etc.

The top eight teams at the Big Time were put in the two pools, ensuring the best teams would play each other immediately. Indy Heat, bidding to become the first repeat champion in the tournament's 11-year history, was the only team to go 3-0 and had the biggest point differential (40). Indy Heat beat a team that included highly regarded Derrick Caracter 77-63; it also scored an 81-57 win over a team that included top Class of 2007 recruits Chase Budinger and Kevin Love. . . . Indiana has 14 teams in the tournament.