BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Eric Gordon makes every move look naturally smooth – the slick drives to the basket, the whip passes to teammates, the poke-away steals, even his long 3-pointers.

Indiana’s best freshman in decades certainly is gifted, but the perception is he beats opponents on talent alone.

It’s not that easy.

Few see the countless hours the 19-year-old has spent fine-tuning his moves, the constant studying of plays or the creativity he’s used to fit the Hoosiers’ style.

“I know how hard he works. I’ve watched how hard he works, getting in the gym and fixing his skills,” said Doug Mitchell, Gordon’s coach at North Central High School in Indianapolis. “That’s always been the key. When a coach sees something, he fixes it.”

At first glance, it appears Gordon’s game doesn’t need fixing.

The transition from high school star to freshman celebrity has been seamless. Gordon, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard, entered the week leading the Big Ten in scoring (21.7 points per game), has taken more free throws (144) and made more free throws (122) than any other conference player and ranks fifth in 3-pointers per game (2.6).

He’s already tied Mike Woodson’s school record for most 30-point games by a freshman (three) and with a stronger finish, he may yet challenge Glenn Robinson’s conference record for highest scoring average by a freshman (24.1).

Hardcore Hoosiers fans have embraced Gordon by wearing T-shirts that read “Got Gordon” and chant his name regularly during games, privileges typically reserved for upperclassmen.

But Gordon does not measure success in terms of personal glory.

He takes greater pride in being ranked No. 11 and helping the Hoosiers to their best 19-game record (17-2) since 1992-93. He’d rather win a conference title and play deep into March, perhaps even April, than hear the endless comparisons to former Indiana guard Isiah Thomas.

No, Gordon is not your typical freshman. He’s humble, quiet and would do anything to avoid talking about himself.

“Coach told me not to even act like a freshman,” Gordon said. “So I just play, I just play my game and let that take over.”

The truth is Indiana almost missed out on the state’s reigning Mr. Basketball.

He was supposed to be the next big Indiana prep star to spurn in-state schools. The recent list includes Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr., Josh McRoberts, Dominic James and Sean May, and it appeared the Hoosiers had missed out again when Gordon orally committed to Illinois in 2005.

When Mike Davis resigned and the Hoosiers hired Kelvin Sampson in the spring of 2006, Gordon reconsidered. Just contacting Gordon created discontent between the Indiana and Illinois coaching staffs, and had some Indiana fans questioning whether Sampson had followed the proper protocol.

Gordon was interested in staying closer to home.

“Do you tell someone to go ahead with a marriage if you have doubts? No. … This is the best fit for him,” Gordon’s father, Eric Sr., said in October 2006.