Culture
Bulldogs’ Gordon doesn’t get picked
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080627/SPORTS030102/806270361/1079
The man acting as Jamont Gordon's agent said late Thursday night that going unchosen in the NBA Draft may make him "better off," but wouldn't discuss if he and Gordon had made any agreements that would jeopardize his eligibility for any potential return to Mississippi State.
Gordon, the 6-foot-4 junior Bulldog guard, watched and waited as 60 picks in the Thursday draft were made without him being chosen.
But Charles Grantham, who is acting as his agent, said shortly after the conclusion of the draft that teams had inquired about Gordon as a free agent.
"In some sense, it may work out to his advantage," the New York-based agent, Charles Grantham, said. "We have about six teams who have called already who may want to give him a shot to what's open. It's not all bad. He didn't get drafted, but essentially he's a free agent at this point."
Grantham said earlier in the week that he and Gordon had not signed paperwork making him an official client. "It's not signed yet but will be shortly," he said Tuesday. "I think you could say it's done."
Grantham wouldn't comment on the particulars of his agreement with Gordon late Thursday. Typically, a player loses his eligibility under NCAA rules when signing with an agent.
About the possibility of Gordon wanting to return to school if eligible, Grantham wouldn't comment. "I haven't talked to him about that," he said. "I would have to defer."
Gordon didn't return a voice mail left shortly after the draft. Neither did his trainer, Jerry Meyer, or Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury.
Gordon has sent signals that he was looking ahead to his professional future for some time. Gordon skipped the NBA Pre-Draft Camp in Orlando in May, saying at the time that he was hearing he could be a first-round pick.
Gordon told The Tennessean earlier this week that he hoped to stay in the first round with its guaranteed contracts. Grantham projected an early to mid-second round selection, as did many Internet mock drafts.
clarionledger.com
6/27/08