By Aaron Castrejon
BroncoAthletics.com
Larry Gordon Eurobasket Profile
KAPFENBERG, Austria - He set out to make a name for himself at Cal Poly Pomona.
In Larry Gordon's four years with the Broncos, 2005 through 2009, he tallied more than 1,500 points, 900 rebounds, 125 steals and 45 blocks. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and was a four-time All-CCAA performer.
To top things off, he was named an All-American for the 2008-09 campaign. Despite being one of only five players in program history to attain that distinction, there was one thing missing from the equation: an NCAA Division II championship ring.
"I would have loved to get a ring over the All-American any day," said Gordon, who is enjoying a professional basketball career in Europe.
Gordon is playing with the Kapfenberg Bulls, an Austrian team. After graduation in 2009, numerous agents who watched his outstanding performance in the D-II championship game that year approached him, but he had one thing on his mind: playing in the NBA.
"My eyes were always on the NBA," he said. "But with the politics with that and everything, I had to go to the next best thing and that was to play in Europe for a while."
Ultimately, Gordon chose to begin his pro career in Holland with the Landstede Zwolle. Even though other teams had offered him more pay, Gordon chose the Landstede Zwolle because the team gave him the best chance to advance his career.
Despite being 5,300 miles from home, Gordon took comfort in the fact that many of his teammates spoke English and had similar interests.
"It was like being at home in certain instances, but just with the same culture everywhere," he said. "They spoke the same language, ate the same food and listened to the same music."
The former CPP forward eventually moved to his current team in Austria, where he averages 11.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting 52.5 percent from the field.
In explaining his move to Austria, Gordon said: "The team in Holland didn't have enough money to increase my contract agreement, so I had to move on to a better opportunity and more money. Even though it's not about the money, but I do have to make a living."
The Kapfenberg Bulls are aiming to make a deep run in the postseason and are currently tied for fifth place in the league.
"Larry was such a determined student-athlete from the day he stepped on campus," Broncos' head coach Greg Kamansky said. "He was very competitive and this motivated him to be one of the hardest workers we've had both on and off the court. His work ethic inspired not only his teammates, but our whole coaching staff."
Gordon, born in West Covina, Calif., lived in Pomona for most of his early years and playing for Cal Poly Pomona was a no-brainer.
"I really loved the environment and the school atmosphere," he said. "I also liked the coaching staff and the system they were offering as far as me playing basketball."
Gordon was part of the 2008-09 squad that played against Findlay in the DII championship game. CPP was unranked while Findlay was ranked No. 1 their entire season and was undefeated.
"The only thing on my mind before that game," Gordon said, "was the fact that we were the underdogs throughout the whole tournament and no one really respected us."
The contest between the Broncos and Findlay went into overtime and Gordon sunk a trey to give CPP the lead. With the score tied in the final seconds, Findlay's Tyler Evans knocked down a desperation three pointer at the buzzer to give his team the title.
Gordon was right under the basket when the winning shot went in.
"I saw the trajectory and I knew it was going in," he said. "My heart dropped, I couldn't believe what had just happened."
Despite the absence of that ring, Gordon has much to be thankful for.
"Being an All-American is one of my greatest accomplishments for me in basketball," Gordon said. "I'm very humble and honored to have received such an award. I had a great career at Cal Poly and if I can do it all over again I would. By far the best time of my life."
As far as the future is concerned, Gordon still dreams of an NBA career.
"There is great success around the corner for me in basketball," he said.
