Former IU basketball players Eric Gordon and D.J. White hit the court in front of fans at University of Indianapolis Saturday night as the Indy ProAm took on the Goodman League.
Gordon and White played for the Indy based team along with other NBA stars while the Goodman team included DeMarcus Cousins, Jeff Green and John Wall.
The Goodman League won 170-167 with Gordon leading the way with 40 points for the Indy ProAm team and White scoring 12.
Follow the jump for quotes from Gordon and White about the IU basketball program and some more game stats.
Gordon talked before the game on how he has used the off-season to work on his ball-handling and some post-up moves.
He said one of the benefits the lockout might allow will give the 2008 Big Ten Freshman of the Year a chance to see his former college team in action.
"I follow the program more than what people think," Gordon said. "I watch all their games and hopefully since this lockout is in place I will be able to go to them."
Growing up in Indianapolis, Gordon said Indiana is a true basketball state with head coach Tom Crean's Hoosiers ready to be back on top.
"He's got a lot of good players coming in, a lot of good guards from what I see," Gordon said. "They should be able to change. They're talented enough so it's all up to the players to do what they need to do to get IU back."
White said he still follows the Hoosiers and gets a chance to talk to Crean when he is in the Bloomington area. For the 2008 Big Ten Player of the Year, the state of Indiana compares to his home state when it comes to its enthusiasm about a particular sport.
"There's a lot of love as far as basketball," White said of Indiana. "Me coming from a football state in Alabama, it's a special place. There's a lot of people passionate about basketball. That was one thing that drew me here."
Starters for the Indy team on Saturday night included: Gordon, White, Mike Conley Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies), Gordon Hayward (Utah Jazz) and Josh McRoberts (Indiana Pacers). Coming off the bench were JaJuan Johnson (Boston Celtics), Zach Randolph (Memphis Grizzlies) and Jeff Teague (Atlanta Hawks).
Gordon's 40 points came on 16-32 shooting and 6-16 from behind the arc. He also led Indy with 9 assists.
In a game that was very high-paced and at times a bit sloppy with a combined 40 turnovers, it was Gordon's shooting that kept his team in it especially during the third quarter when he made all four of his three point attempts. However, the fatigue of playing 44 minutes seemed to get to Gordon in the fourth as he went 0-6 from deep.
White was productive in the first half scoring eight points on 3-7 shooting. He only attempted one field goal in the second half and finished the night with 12 points and six rebounds.
Starters for the Goodman League included: John Wall (Washington Wizards), DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings), Lance Stephenson (Indiana Pacers), Paul George (Indiana Pacers) and Jeff Green (Boston Celtics). Because of certain players electing not to play at the last minute the Goodman League also had Shelvin Mack (Washington Wizards) who was supposed to be on the Indy team along with George and Stephenson.
Wall was dominant all night playing all 48 minutes scoring 41 points on 16-26 shooting, handing out 12 assists, and grabbing 11 rebounds.
His college teammate Cousins had his way down low with 33 points and 15 rebounds.
Green (35 points and 12 rebounds) and George (24 points and 11 rebounds) also had double-doubles for the victorious Goodman League.
With the lockout having officially canceled preseason games, more cities are starting to form teams with NBA players to travel around the country to play each other.
