Derrick Gordon of UMass has come out as the first openly gay Division I basketball player.

The decision to step forward publicly was a long time in the making for Gordon, a starter who averaged 9.4 points and 3.5 rebounds a game this season.

"I was thinking about summer plans and just being around my teammates and how it was going to be," Gordon said. "I just thought, 'Why not now? Why not do it in the offseason when it's the perfect time to let my teammates know and everybody know my sexuality."

Gordon was an All-Sun Belt Third Team selection as a freshman at Western Kentucky before deciding to transfer to UMass to be closer to his family in New Jersey.

Gordon was inspired by the reception given to Jason Collins' announcement and return to the NBA.

"When Jason came back to the league, that's when I started to build a little more confidence about myself," Gordon said. "If the NBA can accept him, then everything is going to be fine in my book."