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Liar! Liar! Liar!
That led to one of the most heated recruiting battles in recent college history. In 2005, Gordon gave the University of Illinois an oral commitment. But EJ – “Eric Jr.” – would rather have played at Indiana University. Gordon’s father however did not like Indiana’s then coach Mike Davis or the team’s poor showing. Illinois meanwhile was still relatively close to home and the family, had a respected coach in Bruce Weber and two NBA guards in Luther Head and Deron Williams among their recent players.
But as Gordon was playing better and better in high school, the heads at Indiana University began getting more and more anxious. Could the Hoosiers not end up bringing in the state’s biggest talent since Oscar Robertson in 1956? Oral commitments were not legally binding in college basketball as more than a few high school stars had passed on the morale high road in favor of the team success.
Considerations quickly turned into actions. Kelvin Sampson replaced Mike Davis on the bench and immediately contacted the Gordon camp. And it was more than a coincidence that Jeff Meyer, a former college coach and close friend of Eric Gordon Sr., landed onto Sampson’s bench as an assistant. But the move ended up working. After a couple of campus visits and various practice games with the team, Gordon Jr. announced in October 2006 his intention to attend Indiana – regardless of his past promise.
(zü) “Liar! Liar! Liar!”
Reactions out of Illinois were heated as the Illini were suddenly without a useful shooting guard. There were even death threats. For the first game between Indiana and Illinois, organizers brought in extra security but 16,000 angry fans feverishly booed Gordon for two and a half hours. And Illinois guard Cester Frazier nearly took Gordon down – before the opening whistle. Every time the hated, one-time messiah Gordon touched the ball, chants of “Liar! Liar! Liar!” came from the stands. Shortly before the final whistle, the Gordon family had to be escorted out of the stands under a shower of fan verbal abuse, ice cubes and plastic cups. “It was certainly an uncomfortable experience. But I can understand the resentment of the fans,” said Gordon. Eric Sr. meanwhile was affected by the reaction of the Illini fans, but his main worry was for his son. “He has the tendency of wanting to please everyone. All this is not easy for him,” said the elder Gordon.
But the controversial recruiting move proved to be ineffective. Despite some good showings by Gordon, coach Sampson never was able to get the Hoosiers to live up to their potential. And things turned even worse for the coach. Due to various violations of NCAA regulations – partially in connection with the recruiting of young players – Sampson was forced out at the university with his contract being bought out in February 2008. After moving into the NBA, Gordon complained about the appalling lack of discipline at the one-time famed university. He also said that drug consumption by a series of players – without naming names – robbed the team of any chances for success. Gordon said coach Sampson knew of the problems but refused to penalize the players looking for the more important team success.
The negative experiences from the college controversies only helped Gordon deal with an NBA team with strained team chemistry. And there are surely more peaceful locker rooms and better role models than Ricky Davis, Zach Randolph and company. But after the emotional ride in college, Gordon was able to grow in this challenging situation rather than fall apart. He was the right man in the right place.
Clippers fans continue to have plans for the removal of the coach – even in violent nature if necessary – and a better future of their team. But they can be happy that that brighter future has already started in the shape of number 10 in the white, blue and red.
