Lakewood Ranch High’s Damien Gordon signs with Eckerd basketball

Lakewood Ranch High senior Damien Gordon locked up his college basketball future Tuesday by signing with Eckerd, a program his high school head coach, Jeremy Schiller, knows well.

Gordon is one of three Mustangs seniors who formed a nucleus that reshaped Lakewood Ranch’s program into a force.

The Mustangs went to the Elite Eight two years ago and the Final Four last season in part because of Gordon’s sharpshooting.

The shooting guard will be leaned on this season as Lakewood Ranch embarks on another tough schedule after adding the prestigious City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers last week. The national invitational tournament is scheduled to start Dec. 19, and the Mustangs open against Memphis East, the No. 1-ranked team in the country that former Orlando Magic player Penny Hardaway coaches.

Gordon is averaging 12.5 points per game, 2.8 steals per game and shooting 47 percent from the field (38 percent from 3-point range).

Schiller was an assistant coach at Eckerd before taking the head coaching position at Lakewood Ranch.

This story was originally published November 14, 2017 at 6:12 PM with the headline "Lakewood Ranch High’s Damien Gordon signs with Eckerd basketball."