A pivotal figure in the history of the North Central College men’s basketball program, Landon Gamble ’14 helped lead the Cardinals to new heights competitively while setting a lofty standard for consistency across a four-year career.
Gamble chose to attend North Central after turning down a full-scholarship offer from another institution, citing his on-campus experience as the deciding factor.
“I got some pushback from my friends and family at the time, but I knew this was where I wanted to be,” he said. “When I visited campus and met the guys on the team, I felt a real sense of connection and belonging. That was why I decided to turn the scholarship down.
“Right before the season started that year, I called my mom and told her I made the right choice.”
The program’s standard for hard work quickly became apparent Gamble’s first season. On a competitive trip to the University of Hawaii-Hilo, the Cardinals were pushed in an intense series of practices that left a lasting impact.
“Those Hawaii practices were some of the hardest we ever had,” he said. “Even when things were going well, he pushed us hard, and I didn’t realize the benefit of that when it was happening.”
The Cardinals recovered from a 4-7 start that season to claim a share of the program’s first College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) regular-season title, hosting the CCIW Tournament for the first time. Gamble led the team in scoring (14.1 points per game) and rebounding (5.2 per game) while leading the CCIW in field-goal percentage.
The next season saw North Central take a step further by winning a team-record 22 games, including a second straight CCIW regular-season title and the program’s second CCIW Tournament championship, won at Gregory Arena. The 2012-2013 campaign began with a 13-game winning streak and a brief appearance at No. 1 in the D3hoops.com National Top 25 Poll before raising the CCIW Tournament crown a second straight time.
The Cardinals posted a trio of NCAA Tournament victories at home before advancing to the national semifinals in Salem, Virginia.
“I had never experienced anything like that,” said Gamble, who received First Team All-America honors following the season. “Traveling to a place we’d never been before, having all the alumni and fans come together, it felt good to be able to give them that experience. It felt like it wasn’t just for us, it was for everybody.”
Gamble played in 112 games, a program record at the time, while ranking fourth in the Cardinals’ history in points (1,616) and eighth in rebounds (607), and is the third player to be named to four straight All-CCIW teams. He remains grateful to former North Central head coach Todd Raridon for teaching the importance of effort and execution at all times.
“He was preparing us for life,” Gamble said. “There have been plenty of situations where I’ve been tired or didn’t want to do something and I‘ve relied on the ability to push through that I learned then.”
