Across DI landscape, support for UMass' Gordon

Posted April 10, 2014

Publicly, coaches and players reacted with unanimous support for Derrick Gordon (above). How will crowds react next season? (Guillermo Hernandez/SI)

Some time next winter, Massachusetts will visit Fordham and Rose Hill Gymnasium will open its doors to college basketballs first openly gay male player. Derrick Gordon will be a junior guard for UMass and will be months removed from Wednesdays public declaration of his sexuality. The initial tremors accompanying the news will have subsided. He might seem like just another guy. And Fordham coach Tom Pecora, like many other coaches and administrators, believes thats how Gordons peers will treat him. But Pecora also vowed to act if hes proven wrong.

Our responsibility as people and coaches in the world of college athletics is obviously to support him in any way we can, Pecora said. I cant imagine here at Fordham there being an issue with a person in the stands and certainly not with a player on our team. But if there was, Id go into the stands on behalf of the kid. Thats gotta be the mindset. Its important for that young man to know people have his back.

The reaction to Gordons announcement, which the 33-game starter made via ESPN and OutSports early Wednesday, suggested that would be the outcome. There was a pervasive belief that college students, basketball players included, are accepting that its almost remarkable how little of an issue this will be. While coaches, especially in the Atlantic 10, expected to address the news with their teams, they also guessed their players would judge Gordon by his jump shot and defense and not by any other standard. He was a player on the scouting report this past season and would be again next season, and little more.

WERTHEIM: Why Gordons announcement represents a different kind of progress

The only concern is about the unpredictable nature of crowds, but coaches and administrators are optimistic still.I guess well be the first ones to find out and maybe be able to tell some others at some point what to expect and how to deal with it, Massachusetts coach Derek Kellogg said in a phone interview. While people think it may be hostile and people are going to say some vulgarity and how it might be, I also think we may have some people who respect who we are and how we do things. There could be a lot of different things that well have to address as they come, if they actually come. We talked about people and kids being a little more astute than they once were Im hoping thats the case.

Its anticipated to be the case on the court for Gordon, who averaged 9.4 points and 3.5 rebounds last season.

The ball goes up I know our guys are like this guys dont think about color, orientation, creed, any of that stuff, Towson coach Pat Skerry said. They think its time to compete, and how are we going to win the game?

Most programs, like Skerrys, will observe Gordons experience from afar. But A-10 programs will definitely cross his path, and coaches in the league expectedtheir players to be open-minded.

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Across DI landscape, support for UMass' Gordon