Mike Gordon.

His name easily stands alone and stands out when people talk about Binghamton University’s 6-foot senior point guard.

Gordon has been a staple for BU’s men’s basketball program since he stepped on campus four years ago. With the end of his collegiate career now possibly just one game away, Gordon doesn’t want the ride to be up.

“Right now, I’m a little nervous,” admitted Gordon, whose fourth-seeded Bearcats will face off against fifth-seeded Vermont in the quarterfinals of the America East Tournament at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. “I’m not ready for it to be over.”

Gordon is averaging 12 points per game this season, 3.9 assists per game — third in the conference — and a conference-best 2.24 steals per game. He has received numerous accolades and conference awards and he’s the guy opposing teams zero in on.

But it wasn’t always this way for Gordon.

He struggled with the transition from high school to college. He was undersized and it wasn’t clear what his role was going to be. And off the court, it wasn’t easy for Gordon to balance both schoolwork and basketball.

“When I got here, I didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “The speed of the game was a lot faster and I wasn’t strong enough.”

But Gordon worked and pushed himself in the weight room and on the court in practice. He played in 27 games his freshman season, including 14 starts.

The next season he started every game on his way to being named Third-Team All-Conference and to the All-Defensive Team. Gordon had arrived as one of the premier guards in the conference, but for a while during his senior year of high school, he had no idea where he would be or what he would do. He had no real offers until Binghamton came along late into his senior year.

“I wasn’t really thinking about where I was going to play,” Gordon said. “I was just trying to get through my senior year, as my mindset was on getting to the championship.”

Just as Gordon found success after struggling at Binghamton, the same was true in high school.

As a freshman, Gordon stood just 5 feet tall. Despite his size, he suited up varsity. It was then that people started whispering his name and asking about him. They got the answer when he started the first five games of the season his sophomore year. Gordon was on the fast track to success as people started to realize his potential.

But Gordon struggled that same season and was sent down to junior varsity. Because of a few injuries and some on-court struggles, Gordon’s mind just wasn’t where it needed to be.

Gordon was back on varsity during his junior year, but he and his team continued to struggle as a new coaching staff was introduced. But Gordon, who never accepts losing at any level, worked hard and motivated himself and his team. Even this season at Binghamton, Gordon had to again deal with a new coaching staff.

“When [Kevin Broadus] first got here, I didn’t know what to think because it seemed that everything was going to change so fast,” Gordon said.

The point guard and coach’s relationship flourished from day one since they both just wanted to win. As the leader on the floor, Gordon has to be an extension of the coach. Gordon not only reflects what Broadus wants on the floor but what kind of person Broadus wants on his team.

“All of Mike’s qualities are A-plus,” Broadus said. “I want guys who are going to work hard on the court and in the classroom.”

Gordon, a human development major, knows that the lifestyle isn’t as glamorous as people think.

“People think we have it easy because we are always on the road, on full scholarships and always in the spotlight,” Gordon said. “But you aren’t worried about doing work when you have a game tomorrow. The balance of it is ridiculous.”

But being in the spotlight is something that Gordon isn’t really a fan of. He would rather lay low and as an unselfish and humble person — Gordon would rather talk about his teammates than himself. Even when he was on the verge of scoring 1,000 career points, he admitted he would rather have 999 and a conference championship.

That kind of character and personality, Gordon says, comes from his family and the way he was raised. And that idea of family is something that is crucial to Gordon, as there is a tattoo across his shoulder blades that reads: “Family 1st.”

It was his parents who walked him to center court on Senior Night and it was his family who helped him pull through during tough times when he was a freshman at Binghamton.

“There were times when I was so overwhelmed with schoolwork and got a little homesick,” Gordon said. “I think most people go through that phase and they just pushed me through it every time.”

Gordon, who figured the transition to college away from his family would be easy since he traveled on the AAU circuit, has a very close relationship to his parents. When he was first getting used to college life, Gordon and his mother, Sandra, talked on the phone all of the time including two to three hour conversations. And Gordon and his father, Mike, have always been connected through basketball.

Gordon Sr. played at Plainfield High School and played one year at Susquehanna College. It was Gordon Sr. who took his son to the park in order to teach him the fundamentals of the game. And Gordon Jr. hopes to be the same teacher that his father was to his younger brothers, Darryl and Derrick.

That love of helping the younger generation, including the younger guys on the Bearcats, could even lead to a career in coaching one day for Gordon.

But before Gordon thinks about his future, he just wants to succeed in the present.

This Saturday, he is going to take a nap prior to the game, listen to Cassidy on his iPod and then go out on the court and give it his all.

While he won’t guarantee an outcome, he can promise he will put it all on the line and do whatever it takes for his team to come out with a victory. And nobody would expect anything less from a guy who always plays for the name on the front, not on the back.