June 26, 2008

Clippers Select Indiana Guard Eric Gordon With the 7th Pick in the 2008 NBA Draft

The Los Angeles Clippers selected Indiana guard Eric Gordon with the 7th overall selection in the 2008 NBA Draft, held this evening at the WAMU Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

An explosive scorer and deadly outside shooter who leaves Indiana University after a successful freshman season, Gordon averaged 20.9 points for the Hoosiers en route to being named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

“Eric Gordon was our man all the way,” Clippers Vice President of Basketball Operations Elgin Baylor said. “We were hoping he would be there. We heard rumors that other teams were going to take him, but we are glad they didn’t. We think he will fit in really well here.”

A former Indiana Mr. Basketball, Gordon, led the Big Ten in scoring as a freshman and earned Second Team All-American Honors from the NABC and Third Team honors from the Associated Press as he established an Indiana and Big Ten freshman record with 669 total points, breaking the previous record held by Michael Redd from Ohio State and the Milwaukee Bucks.

“Eric started out with a tremendous year,” Clippers head coach Mike Dunleavy said. “People had him ranked in the top three all year long. He is a great shooter from range and he gets to the free throw line. He can post up and he is a good defender. We hoped that we would get him.”

The Indianapolis native scored 20 or more points 19 times in 2007-08 and topped the 30-point mark three times, including a career-high 33 points in the season opener vs. Chattanooga, establishing an Indiana record for most points ever in a Hoosiers debut. Gordon, 19, was the 2007 Gatorade National Male Athlete of the Year as a senior, putting an exclamation mark on a standout career at North Central High School in Indianapolis.

“[Gordon] was our target early on,” Dunleavy said. “We had him in for workouts and he looked great. All the things we thought he could do, he showed us he can easily do. He will be great for our team.”

“I think the Clippers could be a really good team,” Gordon said. “They have some who can really play. I think I can just fit in with those guys on the perimeter. You really do not know where you are going to end up, but I am just glad to be with the Clippers.”