As the first openly gay basketball player in the NCAA Tournament, Seton Hall guard Derrick Gordon wants to be known primarily for his silky jump shot or his unrelenting hustle — or anything except his sexual orientation, which ceased being a secret two years ago, when he came out, following the path established by Jason Collins in the NBA and soccer star Robbie Rogers.
“I did it because there were a lot of kids out there killing themselves and there were people who stopped playing their sport because they felt they couldn’t fit in,” Gordon explained Wednesday, as he leaned back comfortably on a folding chair inside the Pepsi Center, where the sixth-seeded Pirates will play Gonzaga in the Midwest Regional.
“Hopefully me coming out could help them in many ways. Looking at me, playing for a top Division I school and being in the NCAA Tournament, they will say: ‘OK, if he can do it, I can do it, as well.’ “
I asked Gordon if he considered himself to be a hero. Well, suffice it to say the man doesn’t seek — or need — a medal as a reward for doing what felt right in his heart. With a sigh of bemusement, Gordon replied: “I’m here for basketball.”
But, two hours earlier, the first person I met after walking in the arena was a member of the tournament security crew, telling me of the possibility that Gordon’s participation could be subject to protests Thursday outside the arena by Westboro Baptist Church, a virulently anti-gay congregation that claims: “The only lawful sexual connection is the marriage bed. All other sex activity is whoremongery and adultery, which will damn the soul forever in hell.”
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Sure enough, through its Twitter account, the Kansas-based church earlier this week had vowed: “Satan-inspired media loves to stoke his rebellion, but we’ll protest March Madness for Derrick Gordon!” Westboro did not immediately reply to requests for further comment made by The Denver Post via telephone, e-mail and social media.
In April 2014, at a time Gordon was a sophomore at the University of Massachusetts, and only a week after he originally came out as gay, Westboro Baptist did protest on the campus. But the message of hate was drowned out by more than 1,500 students and LGBT allies who marched together, wearing pins that declared “UMass United” in support of Gordon.
In the rugged social media landscape, a man can make a stand, on any issue great or small, and catch grief. I told Gordon he could have declared to the twitterverse his love of macaroni and cheese, and there probably will be blowback from somewhere that he is a knucklehead for not properly appreciating ramen noodles.
Gordon laughed. For the Pirates, he is a valuable player who averages 7.9 points and 1.7 assists as a spark off the bench. But, as a man, Gordon understands he will always be met with disapproval in some segments of society.
“I’m sure there are a lot of people who don’t like what I did or don’t like how I go about myself,” Gordon said. “You always get some things on social media. But that’s social media. Anybody can say anything on social media.”
The Pirates are led in scoring by pro prospect Isaiah Whitehead, a former Mr. New York Basketball. But, on a Seton Hall team whose entire starting lineup is made up of sophomores, the 24-year-old Gordon is viewed as big brother. He leads through a combination of the floor-burn intensity that defines his game and the inner calm derived from been there, done that and already got the T-shirt.
To qualify for this madness, the 25-8 Pirates first had to survive the craziness of the Big East Conference, with trips to Villanova, St. John’s and Xavier. Those can all be rowdy buildings for visitors to escape with a victory.
With his hand on the Bible, however, Gordon would gladly testify this to be the whole truth: Not one time, during any of those road games in the rough-and-tumble Big East, did anybody in the stands heckle him for his decision to prove how normal an openly gay athlete can be.
“Nothing bad has come from it. It’s all been extremely positive, just tons and tons of support from across the country. It’s been really great for me, honestly,” Gordon said. “Then me being the first openly gay to play in the NCAA Tournament, that’s when a lot more people reached out, with a lot more people being supportive. It’s definitely big for me.”
When Gordon peels off his warm-up suit and checks in the game for the Pirates, this tournament will already have its one shining moment.
Mark Kiszla: mkiszla@denverpost.com or @markkiszla
