Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

UMass basketball’s Derrick Gordon excels on emotional, historic night

Photo by Cade Belisle/Daily Collegian
Photo by Cade Belisle/Daily Collegian

On a night of firsts for Massachusetts men’s basketball player Derrick Gordon, the 6-foot-3 junior shooting guard carried himself with relative normalcy.

Gordon said he approached Friday night’s 95-87 victory over Siena like a regular game, and that he had “been here before.” That may have rang true for Gordon, who started all of last season with the Minutemen. But some of those watching Gordon watched him for the first time and watched him in a new light.

He became the first openly gay Division I men’s basketball player to play in a regular season game on Friday, scoring 17 points, grabbing nine rebounds and adding three assists and two steals in 31 minutes of play. He did so in front of 8,187 fans at the Mullins Center. Some held signs with #BETRUE, the same letters that appeared on a t-shirt Gordon wore on the day he came out as gay, while others proudly displayed rainbow flags in support of Gordon.

And one fan, his twin brother Darryl, watched him play basketball for the first time in six years.

“I held back the tears,” Derrick Gordon said upon seeing his brother. “I haven’t seen my brother since he’s been out. But it was good to see my family sitting in that section, that was something that I’ve been dreaming about and it happened tonight.”

Darryl was released from prison on Sept. 30 following a five-year prison sentence for attempted murder. He hadn’t seen his brother play live, and it was the first time either had seen each other since Darryl was released. Darryl made the trip to Amherst with the Gordon’s parents, Michael and Sandra, to take in the game behind the UMass bench.

Getting the chance to play in front of Darryl was something Derrick talked about in the days leading up to game.
It was a significant moment for both, and in light of that, Derrick delivered one of his strongest performances as a member of the Minutemen.

“I thought that was one of his better games,” Kellogg said. “That looked like the guy I expect.”

According to Gordon, his confidence is sky-high.

Gordon utilized his ability to drive to the rim, scoring 11 of his 17 points from the free throw line. He shot just 3-of-12 from the floor, but made up for it in other areas of the game, making an impact on the defensive glass as the game progressed. It was sorely needed too, as the Minutemen were out-rebounded by Siena 26-15 in the first half.

It was a long time coming for Gordon, who originally shared with the world he was gay April 9. Since then, he’s received a dizzying array of local and national attention and attended a number of events. He also spent the majority of the summer and preseason attempting to overhaul his jump shot, something he’s said he’s now confident with.

On Friday, Gordon finally returned to the court and looked at home.

“He was crashing the glass and knocking people out of the way and doing some things,” Kellogg said. “For a few plays, it looked like he was the only one in there.”

“I was happy for him with some of the media exposure and attention he’s been getting.”

Mark Chiarelli can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @Mark_Chiarelli

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