Daytona Beach Thunder Training Camp Preview
January 19, 2007 - World Indoor Football League 2 (WIFL 2)
Daytona Beach Thunder News Release
DELAND, Fla. -- Many athletes experience a mid-life crisis of sports, changing from one position to another. It happens all too prolifically, but the E.J. Gordon story is unique.
Gordon's attempting to make the switch from college basketball to professional football as the Daytona Beach Thunder opens its 2007 training camp this weekend.
A two-sport star at DeLand High school, Gordon opted for basketball, staying near home and attending Stetson University, a respected basketball program at a school that last fielded a football team in 1957. [The Hatters did beat Florida three times back in the day.]
Gordon was one of the Hatters' most prolific scorers, finishing second all-time in points (1,691) and first overall in steals (235). But after going undrafted, his natural athleticism drove him to give football a shot.
"I'm making the transition very smoothly," Gordon said. "Basketball is a little more exhausting, so I think that gives me a little advantage in football,"
Gordon, was Volusia county's basketball player of the year, but still was offered football scholarships by Clemson and Florida.
"He was easily, one of the best players to step on the court here at DeLand," said DeLand High School basketball coach John Zeoli. "His athleticism was unmatched and he was excellent at studying the game. I'm not surprise he's back in football, he can do it all."
Thunder head coach Leon Bright share's Zeoli's opinion on Gordon's potential.
"There's no doubt he can play on the next level, he just needs game experience," Bright said. "We like to call him the air traffic controller, because he is always talking and signaling on defense so that every play ends in success."
Gordon's not alone in making the transition from the hardcourt - former Bethune-Cookman forward Cleveland Williams, an all-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference selection, is vying for a spot at wide receiver.
THUNDER TRAINING CAMP PREVIEW
DATES: Jan. 21 - Feb. 4 (Practice begins 1/22)
LOCATION: Sperling Sports Complex, DeLand
PRACTICE TIMES: 6:30 p.m.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Bo Bartik, WR Cory McKinney (DeLand HS, FIU) , DL Dereck Rivers, OL Tommy Moody, DB EJ Gordon (DeLand, Stetson)
THE BIG PICTURE: Former NY Giant and Tampa Bay Buc Leon Bright takes over an underachieving 6-8 team from 2006.
QB SITUATION: Bartik, who led the Rome Renegades to two championship games appearances, is the proven indoor veteran, but can former Bethune-Cookman star Lawrence McCloud and FIU's Tavares Woodley beat him out on talent alone?
KEY CONCERN: Thunder lost DB Nick Allison and RB Brad Lee to the AFL's Orlando Predators.
WHAT THE HECK? Thunder has two former Division I BASKETBALL standouts (Stetson's EJ Gordon and Bethune-Cookman's Cleveland Williams) on the pre-season roster. Gonzaga ain't on the schedule, is it?
World Indoor Football League 2 Stories from January 19, 2007
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