IU's Eric Gordon officially declares for NBA draft, shares reasons for decision

[Tim Solon]

It's official. After months of speculation and a week or so of stories that sources close to Eric Gordon said he would leave for the NBA, the freshman guard made his decision official with a press conference Monday afternoon.

Gordon has not yet signed with an agent, but his father, Eric Gordon Sr., said he intends to do so, which would officially end his college eligibility.

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"I'm doing this to compete at the highest level, not for the fame or the money," Gordon said during the news conference. "I just had a couple of weeks to really think about this after the season, and now is the right time to do it."

Gordon is the second freshman, along with Jerryd Bayless of Arizona, to declare early for the NBA draft so far this season.

After the press conference, Gordon shared his thoughts with a Big Ten Network reporter about his decision. Gordon told her that the decision was not easy for him and that he did seriously consider coming back to IU:

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Gordon also shared that he thought Tom Crean was a great choice for becoming IU's next coach.

The Big Ten Network used Gene Keady, formerly Purdue's head coach and also a former NBA scout, to analyze whether or not Gordon is ready for the NBA:

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Hoosiers fans, of course will have to wait until late June to see where Gordon and his IU teammate, D.J. White go in the draft.

For more related IUplanet content:
http://iuplanet.com/forum/iuplanet-h...ve-iu-nba.html
http://iuplanet.com/forum/iuplanet-h...xt-season.html
http://iuplanet.com/forum/iuplanet-h...ear-award.html
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[HardyforHeisman]

Well, I'm still going to root for the kid once he lives IU. He's humble (for the most part) and I think really gave his best most of the time for the Hoosiers. Good luck in the NBA, Eric Gordon.

[FRANKtheTANK]

This, I'd say, is the first time (and probably only time) I ever agree with Gene Keady.