Feb. 28, 2010

Note: - This story is one of 16 student-athlete profiles that will be part of the Patriot League Basketball Tournament program in March. Throughout the month of February, the stories that highlight a men and women's student-athlete from each Patriot League team will be featured on the League website.

Soaring In Her Senior Year
By Patrick Janssen, Patriot League Assistant Media Relations Director

On the court, there is an air of toughness that radiates from Navy women's basketball senior K.C. Gordon. She is a self-classified "Tom Boy" who is known for her grit on the floor.

Outside of the arena, Gordon is soft-spoken and polite, something she considers a byproduct of her college education.

"Attending the Navy Academy has definitely made me grow up," Gordon said. "I can see a difference in myself now compared to my freshman year, and there is certainly a difference from how I was in high school. I love it here. I have met all of my best friends here. The Navy has given me a purpose."

Gordon's athletic roots were formed at an early age. Her mother played basketball at Duke, while her father swam collegiately for the Blue Devils. Her older brother, Jay, also delved deeply into athletics.

"I have a very athletic family," Gordon said. "That has certainly had an impact on me. My participation in sports defined me growing up."

Gordon insists that every athletic venture has had its purpose.

"My family introduced me to swimming when I was young so I could go to a pool party," Gordon said. "I started playing baseball so I could compete with them at a company picnic. I played everything as a kid. It has all been very good for me. I believe team sports really help in the development of a young child."

Gordon's family history in athletics is only rivaled by her family's roots in the military. Her grandfather and uncle both attended the Naval Academy, while her brother served as a Marine.

"My grandfather took me on my first visit to the Naval Academy," Gordon said. "After that first visit, I was sold. I knew where I wanted to be."

Gordon also knew what she wanted to be. Once enrolled at the Academy, Gordon began a program of study that would allow her to pursue her dream of becoming a Marine pilot. Though she eventually looked at other career options, she ultimately came back to her original plan.

"I certainly appreciate my family's background in the Marines," Gordon said. "I appreciate that they stand for discipline and serving their community."

Upon graduation, Gordon will report to Quantico Marine Corp Base in northern Virginia, just miles from her hometown of Vienna. She will train to become a rifle platoon at Quantico before moving to Pensacola, Fla. There she will spend two years in flight school getting her wings. Afterward, Gordon will then report to her first squadron.

"It is something I am definitely looking forward to," Gordon said. "Like a lot of people, I came in with an idea of what I wanted to do. After looking at different options, I decided this is what I wanted."

Before moving on, however, Gordon still has plenty of work to do with her basketball teammates. Gordon, a two-year starter, is one of just three seniors on the roster. Only lately has that fact sunk in for the senior forward.

"It just recently became real," Gordon said. "All of the seniors just realized that we are coming up on the end of our careers. We are down to our last few games."

Navy hopes to send its seniors out on a winning note. Last season, the Midshipmen performed one of the most significant turnarounds in the nation, going from 7-23 in 2007-08 to a 16-15 mark under first-year head coach Stefanie Pemper last season. Navy upset third-seeded Bucknell in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament before being upset by seventh-seeded Lafayette in the semifinals.

"Our seniors are so determined," Gordon said. "Coach Pemper is very demanding. She expects the best out of us. The entire coaching staff and the team have a set of values and goals that we try to meet every day. We all push each other, and there is a mutual trust between the coaches and the players."