Pensacola, Fla. point guard Alex Gordon gave an oral commitment to Vanderbilt Friday, according to a report in the Pensacola News Journal. Gordon, a rising senior who can sign in November, becomes the first high school prospect to commit to Kevin Stallings and the Commodores for the class of 2004.
Gordon chose the Commodores over interest from Florida State, Minnesota, Xavier, Ohio State and several others. In his junior season with Pensacola High School, the 6-foot-0 Gordon averaged 26.3 points, 5.9 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game, and was named first-team All-State in 4A. Gordon also starred for the AAU Tallahassee Wildcats, an elite team which traverses the country playing in the country's top AAU tournaments.
"They have great academics," Gordon told the News Journal. "And the SEC is one of the top conferences in basketball. They have good coaches, and they face the top competition every week."
On Thursday, Gordon had told The Insiders recruiting analyst Dave Telep that Vanderbilt was his leader, and that he would make an official visit to Nashville. On Friday, Gordon decided to end all the speculation and called Stallings to confirm his decision.
Gordon holds a 3.4 grade point average, and is already qualified under NCAA rules.