Eric Gordon to leave Indiana for NBA

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INDIANAPOLIS, April 8 (UPI) -- Eric Gordon, the top scorer in the Big Ten as a freshman at Indiana, has announced that he plans to enter the 2008 NBA draft.

Gordon is expected to be one of the top 10 picks on June 26, the Indianapolis Star reported. He announced Monday that his college career will end with the end of the current semester.

"I know it's going to be tough with the amount of games and everything," Gordon said. "Basically, I have to take it as a challenge. It's almost every man for himself. I'm just glad to go on to the next level."

Jeff Meyer, an assistant coach at Indiana who coached Gordon's father in college, said that he knew when he saw the son play as an eighth-grader that he was likely to be a star.

""This eighth-grader walks onto the court and literally dominated two consecutive games with his scoring, with driving the ball," Meyer said. "It was clear to me at that point in time that E.J. was way beyond his

years in ability and mind-set."

Gordon scored 669 points for Indiana, a record for a freshman in the Big Ten.