UL’s Jaylyn Gordon Ends Productive/Underrated Career

Senior Jaylyn Gordon is leaving as one of the best players in Louisiana Ragin’ Cajun women's basketball history.

Gordon had her spectacular, but underrated career, come to an end on Sunday night, after Louisiana fell to Troy, 78-64, in the finals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in New Orleans, La.

A 5-foot-5 guard, Gordon, along with Keke Veal, Kia Wilridge, Brooklyn Arceneaux, and Adrienne Prejean, who all were seniors last season, helped turn the culture of the women’s basketball program at UL completely around.

Two years ago, the Cajuns won 23 games, and captured the Women’s Basketball Invitational in the postseason, before racking up 25 wins last season, including another WBI crown.

This season, without Veal, Wilridge, Arceneaux, and Prejean, Gordon made it her team, averaging 18 points-per-game, which led the Sun Belt Conference, while helping Louisiana to the 6th 20-win season in program history, while qualifying for the finals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament for the first time in the Garry Brodhead era.

Gordon, along with fellow senior Gabby Alexander, became the first two players in program history to play on three-consecutive 20-win teams.

Due to the success of the program in recent years, and the success of Veal, Wilridge, Prejean, and Arceneaux, especially Veal and Wilridge, who rank in the top ten in almost every statistical category, the exploits of Gordon have flown under the radar a little.

Gordon was an All-Louisiana selection in 2015-2016, and took home All-Sun Belt Conference honors this season, but was still very much underrated for most of her career..

A native of Edgard, Louisiana, Gordon, who attended West St. John High School, where she averaged over 20.0 points-per-game in both her junior and senior campaigns, was a three-year starter for the Cajuns.

In terms of points scored, Gordon has poured in 1,257 career points, which ranks her sixth on the all-time scoring list.

The late, great, Kim Perrot ranks first on the list, with 2,157 career points, followed by Lisa Merritt, who ranks second, with 1,747 points.

Veal finished her career in the third position, with 1,674 career points, followed by  Teena Cooper (1,358) and Wilridge (1,285).

That gives you an idea of how much improved this program has been over the last five years, with three players who all played three years together, Veal, Wilridge, and Gordon, ranking in the top 6 in all-time scoring.

Keep in mind too; Gordon missed the final 11 games of last season.

Let's say that Gordon had averaged 15 points, which is what she averaged last season, over those 11 games; that would be 165 additional points, which would put her at 1,422 career points, a number that would rank fourth all-time.

Gordon was underrated as a scorer because, other than this past season, she never had the really big scoring year, averaging under 15.0 ppg her first three years.

She was a just a consistent scorer for all four years of her career, averaging at least 9 ppg each season, and being the “go to” player on most occasions over the last two years.

But scoring is not all Gordon did throughout her career.

Gordon finished 6th in school history in both assists (309) and steals (192), while finishing with 224 three-pointers made, placing second in school history, behind only Rhonda McCullough (260).

Ten years from now, when this program has taken yet another step or two, we’re going to look back and realize how special the last three years were, and how good of a  player Gordon was.