Seton Hall's Derrick Gordon the first openly gay player in NCAA tournament

Derrick Gordon just wanted to win and get back to the NCAA tournament.

"That's all that matters, really," the senior guard told USA TODAY Sports last May when announcing his transfer as a graduate student to Seton Hall from UMass.

Now that's where Gordon, the first openly gay Division I college basketball player, finds himself. The Pirates (25-8, 12-6) stunned No. 2 Villanova in Saturday's Big East tournament final to earn the conference's auto bid. And with that, Gordon will make history by becoming the first openly-gay Division I men's basketball player to play in the NCAA tournament. Seton Hall is expected to be a No. 4 or No. 5 seed when the selection committee announces the full field of 68 on Selection Sunday.

Derrick Gordon doing it all for Seton Hall

Gordon, who finished with 10 points in the Big East championship, has been more of a role player for Seton Hall this season, averaging 7.9 points and 3.3 rebounds off the bench. His teammates and coaches have praised him for his leadership and hustle. He averaged 9.8 points and 4.9 rebounds as a junior at UMass. He helped the Minutemen reach the NCAA tournament as a sophomore, when he was closeted.

While Gordon and LGBT advocates expected a domino effect after his coming-out process, no D-I player has come out since. In October, Bryant assistant men's basketball coach Chris Burns became the first openly gay coach in a top-four sport, coming out exclusively with USA TODAY Sports.

No more hiding: UMass' Derrick Gordon embraces his new life out

Gordon came out as gay in April of 2014 as a member of the UMass men's basketball team, breaking down major barriers in the process. "What he did, coming out to the world, took tremendous courage," Minutemen coach Derek Kellog said in 2014. "He's saved lives."

Upon transferring to Seton Hall, coach Kevin Willard detracted the attention of having the only openly gay player on his roster, telling USA TODAY Sports this past summer: "For us, the fact that he’s gay is an old story. These kids know about Derrick, they’re on social media and are very informed. This generation of athletes are much more educated on the gay athlete. I think the attention is brought on by adults. We make it a bigger deal. Some of these kids can teach us a lesson on how to handle this type of stuff.”

Gordon has declined interviews with the media that highlight his sexual orientation during the 2015-16 season, choosing to focus more on basketball.

DERRICK GORDON'S HIGHLIGHTS