Busting Brackets
Fansided

Indiana Hoosiers Basketball: Eron Gordon Passing on IU Could Mean Tom Crean’s Demise

By Hashim R. Hathaway

facebooktwitterreddit

Highly sought-after recruit Eron Gordon makes his college decision on Saturday. If he doesn’t choose Indiana, does that spell trouble for Tom Crean?

For so many head coaches, the decision of one or two recruits can spell either feast or famine, and in the case of Rivals 100 recruit Eron Gordon, the decision he makes on Saturday could weigh heavily on the future of a number of programs, none more so than the Indiana Hoosiers.

More from Indiana Hoosiers

Gordon, a 6-foot-3 guard ranked No. 81 in the 2016 class by Rivals, averaged 24.5 points and 4.8 rebounds last season. His path to eligibility has been a controversial one: a transfer between two high schools was initially blocked by the Indiana High School Athletic Association until a judge ruled in Gordon’s favor.

Currently, Gordon has offers from Indiana, LSU, Auburn and Arizona State. Indiana does seem to have the edge, both in proximity to home and the fact that both his brother, Evan and Eric (currently playing for the New Orleans Pelicans) played for the Hoosiers. Of the four programs in contention, Indiana is the only school whose focus is basketball over football.

For embattled head coach Tom Crean, landing Gordon could be essential to remaining in his position past this upcoming season. While he has a strong roster to look ahead to this year, including highly-touted freshman power forward Thomas Bryant, without a good recruit at the point to replace outgoing senior Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell, Crean could be fitting himself for a Bloomington coffin, one many fans would be more than happy to throw shovels of dirt upon should the team not produce, and fast.

Make no mistake, while Gordon is well-thought of in recruiting circles, he’s certainly no panacea. Gordon does not come with the cache of a Cody Zeller, and alone there is no way in hell he’s going to keep a sinking Hoosier program afloat.

As a shooter, he’s nowhere near as accurate as his brother Eric, or as mobile as Evan; if anything, he represents a project-type player like Victor Oladipo, which certainly isn’t a bad thing.

Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana Hoosiers /

Indiana Hoosiers

Landing Gordon means that he’ll likely stick around at least three seasons, if not four, depending on his level of development and growth as a player. If you’re Tom Crean, Gordon is a significant piece of a puzzle he’s been trying to build and rebuild during his eight seasons in Bloomington.

That’s why the decision Gordon makes Saturday at High Noon on the north side of Indianapolis is so important to Crean and the Hoosiers.

If for some reason Gordon passes up what would be a guaranteed starting position to instead play basketball at a football school, it will almost certainly label Crean a failure in recruiting the state of Indiana, serving to tie one more boulder around his neck before tossing his career into the deepest part of Lake Monroe.

If you’re Tom Crean, Saturday will be a sure-fire tell tale sign as to whether or not your immediate future is going to be barbecue, or mildew.

Next: 2016 NBA Draft Radar: Why Do People Like Vanderbilt's Damian Jones?

More from Busting Brackets

Home/Indiana Hoosiers