Indiana's Gordon likely a handful for Hawkeyes

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By Steve Batterson | Wednesday, January 2, 2008 12:52 AM CST | () comments

Indiana guard Eric Gordon, right, shoots a three-pointer over Western Carolina guard Camden Miller during the second half of a college basketball game in Bloomington, Ind., Saturday, Dec. 15, 2006. Indiana won, 100-52. (AP Photo/The Herald-Times, Chris Howell)

Eric Gordon introduced himself to college basketball by scoring 33 points in Indiana’s season-opening win against Tennessee-Chattanooga.

No introduction will be necessary tonight when the Big Ten’s most dominant freshman makes his conference debut in the 11th-ranked Hoosiers’ game at Iowa (7-6) at 8 p.m.

“I’ve been watching him play since he was in the fifth or sixth grade, and I never doubted what type of impact he would have,” Hawkeyes coach Todd Lickliter said. “He’s terrific. He’s very skilled, explosive, yet disciplined, and I think he’s a terrific team player.”

The 6-foot-4 guard from Indianapolis leads the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 23.4 points a game.

He is the first player in the storied history of Indiana’s basketball program to open his career with seven straight 20-plus scoring efforts, something he accomplished while illustrating his versatility.

Gordon has topped 30 points on three occasions, joining Mike Woodson as the only Hoosiers who have scored 30 or more points three times as a freshman.

In his debut, Gordon made nine of 15 shots, including seven of 11 from 3-point range.

Since then, he has proven even more valuable because of his ability to draw fouls. In 12 games, Gordon has hit 90 of his team-leading 104 attempts at the free-throw line.

He also shares the team lead in steals, but that isn’t what impresses Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson the most.

“It’s how he works every day in practice. That’s the thing that stands out to me. He’s getting better in different areas, and he wants to work at that,” Sampson said.

“He can score — he always has — but he’s working to become a better defender, and he’s working to become a better rebounder. He has cut down his turnover numbers, too.”

Sampson considers Gordon’s confidence to be his ultimate strength.

“When the ball is in his hands, he has a lot of confidence, and you like to see that in a freshman. He also understands that he has a lot of areas where he can improve and understanding that only helps his growth.”

Lickliter’s familiarity with Gordon and his family predates the first-year Iowa coach’s tenure as the coach at Butler.

Gordon’s father, Eric Gordon Sr., played high school basketball on North Central High School teams in Indianapolis coached by Lickliter’s father, Arlan Lickliter.

“I grew up around Eric’s father and I’ve watched Eric grow up into a tremendous player who now finds himself surrounded by an equally-talented supporting cast,’’ Lickliter said. “They play so well together. In D.J. White, they have an inside player who continues to get better and their perimeter players are equally strong.”

Add guard Jamarcus Ellis, the 2007 junior college player of the year, to a backcourt which returned Armon Bassett to go with Gordon and it’s easy to understand why the Hoosiers are off to an 11-1 start and considered among the favorites in the Big Ten title chase.

“It’s not surprising how good they are,” Lickliter said. “I think they’re really balanced. They complement each other very well.”

Steve Batterson can be contacted at (563) 383-2290 or sbatterson@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.