Hoosiers make national headlines

Although current and former Hoosiers have been in the news lately, not all have been in the brightest light. Hoosiers like senior Faith Sherrill and current NBA guard Eric Gordon have shined while former IU basketball player Armon Bassett has had problems off the court. Here is an update on what these three Hoosiers have been up to recently.

Sherrill sets national marks

Sherrill did not waste any time getting her senior year off on the right track. The IU shot putter garnered Big Ten Athlete of the Week honors after her 18.00-meter (59 feet, 0.75 inches) throw shattered a Big Ten record in the Indiana Open. The throw is still currently the longest throw in the world.

Not to outdo herself, Sherrill followed up her record-breaking performance Jan. 15 at Purdue with a 17.92-meter (58 feet, 9.5 inches) throw, good for second in the world behind only her Indiana Open throw. Sherrill broke a Lambert Fieldhouse record and earned her second straight Big Ten Athlete of the Week award.

Gordon finding niche in NBA

Just three years after being a diaper dandy at IU, Gordon has taken the NBA by storm. The former All-American guard is leading the Los Angeles Clippers with 23.9 PPG, which ranks eighth in the NBA.

In his third year in the NBA, Gordon is averaging seven more points per game this year as Blake Griffin’s running mate. While the Clippers remain in the lower ranks of the Western Conference at 15-25, many believe that the duo of Gordon and Griffin can lead them out of their habitual mediocrity.

Bassett faces drug charges

Unlike Gordon, Bassett has not had success since leaving IU after the 2007-08 season. Bassett was arrested for marijuana possession during the weekend and held at the Vigo County Jail before being released.

The former IU guard transferred following Dan Dakich’s takeover after the Kelvin Sampson firing in the 2007-08 season. Following his transfer to Ohio University, Bassett sat out his first season due to NCAA regulations. In his only full season at Ohio, Bassett led the 14th-seeded Bobcats past 3rd-seeded Georgetown with 32 points in the first round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament.

After the Bobcats’ loss to Tennessee in the second round, Bassett was accused of assaulting a doorman at an off-campus bar in Athens, Ohio. Instead of facing an indefinite suspension by the university, Bassett elected to take his talents to the NBA Draft — where he went undrafted.

— Connor O’Gara