Dear Eric,
With the announcement of Kelvin Sampson as the new IU coach, I am convinced that the basketball program is on its way back to national prominence. However, while the Flipside staff celebrated the signing of Samson, I immediately thought of you. (Not in that restraining-order kind of way, though.) Here’s why.
I’ll get this out of the way right now: there are personal reasons involved here. I want to be able to say, “I played pick-up ball on a daily basis with the guy who turned Indiana basketball to national prominence and became an Indiana legend...and I even beat him several times.” (Alright, in the interest of full disclosure, I played with you and your dad when you were in middle school and I had just graduated college. Nonetheless, you have to admit: I did whip your ass a few times. Your dad is a different story. But I digress.
)
But more importantly, here's why I thought of you upon Sampson's hiring: as we are well aware, you announced your intention to play college basketball at University of Illinois. There is no debate, Illinois is a national powerhouse and produces NBA-quality players on an annual basis. The entire sports nation would give it’s right arm to be able to play at such a high level basketball institution.
But it’s not home, Eric. You're in a position that comes around maybe once a century.
You could be the name every basketball fan associates with Indiana basketball—the same way Bob Knight was (and still is, oddly enough) for years. A basketball legend in the State of Indiana never dies. Go ask Bobby Plump. Or Kojak Fuller.
Looking at the short term, Indiana—just like Illinois—has the coach and the resources to make you a high pick in the 2008, 2009, 2010, or the 2011 NBA Draft. Hell, that’s your choice (and what a nice option to have, by the way). Either school will get you to your ultimate goal. Only one school, however, has the opportunity to turn you into a legend. “The Indiana guy who turns the Indiana program into the program we have been dying for.” I mean, that's what all boys growing up in Indiana dream of, right? And you have that possibility at your fingertips.
The signing of Kelvin Sampson puts Indiana basketball in a precarious situation. They have to win. And they have to win now. Sampson has said his first priority is to get Indiana guys because that is what Indiana basketball is about. What better option is there than getting Eric Gordon to play at IU? If Kelvin Sampson is worth his salt, you have probably heard from him by now. Please listen.
Let’s face it: every basketball fan in Indiana knows your name. The mere mention of you attending IU would turn the basketball state on its head. You couldn’t go anywhere without someone saying how excited they are about IU basketball because of you. Damon Bailey is an Indiana legend because of his name. You can do the same. But you can also become something Bailey did not. You have the opportunity to become a legend because you resurrected the Indiana University Basketball Program. I’m only 29 years old, but I don’t think that has ever happened.
A top recruit from anywhere in the country will help get wins and help the program. But an Indiana guy coming to Bloomington to turn around the program—that’s what legends are made of. You will undoubtedly be an unbelievable player at Illinois.
But the opportunity to play at IU, be a top player in the country, and turn the program around? I mean, what more could you ever possibly ask for? (You know, besides a rematch with the goofy white guy who used to go all Billy-Madison-playing-against-second-graders on you back in 1996?)
Not much, Eric. Not much.
Your mentor and friend,
Willie C. |
