McNeese State University - Log Yearbook (Lake Charles, LA)

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Ranking seventh on the All-Time Score board and tying Calvin Natt of Northeast Louisiana for the tenth position on the All-Time NCAA score board were just a few of the reasons why the famous No. 4 jersey of Joe Dumars was retired March 5, 1985 in the Lake Charles Civic Center. (Photo by P. Quarles) In the Pokes season opener, Ronald Cox (No. 54), a junior from Spring- field, takes a ten foot jump shot against Southern Mississippi. The Cowboys lost 74-56. (Photo by G. Little) Domination din also won his second straight team rebound title with an 8.4 mark and placed second in the SLC. Harmon was the league’s assistant kingpin with an average right at seven per game. Other team leaders were Dumars in free throw shooting, Batiste in field goal percent- age, Dumars in steals and Har- din in blocked shots. Batiste also went on to earn a second team berth on the all- Cowboy Joe Dumars not only led the Pokes with the highest field goal per- centage, but also led the team in free throws made. Of his 229 attemps, Dumars sunk 195. (Photo by T. Mari- cle) SLC squad. The only sour note of the en- tire season was the fact that when post-season bids went out, the Cowboys were left in the dark. McNeese wasn’t in the running for a NCAA bid but the NIT was another case since the Cowboys were one of the first to be considered. And, the only reason the Cowboys were taken off the board by the NIT was because McNeese couldn't host a first- round game, having no arena in which to play. A bid would have certainly put the icing on a season that was one of the best in the school’s history. Basketball 133

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‘orseneiamas ote Rpm Niinsa Re Shi dies ee 132 Sports

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With only one returning starter and and inexperienced squad, the 1985 team did their best in There were many new be- ginnings for the McNeese Cowgirls prior to the 1984-85 basketball season. First came the hiring of a new coach. Early in August Mike Fountain from Hardin-Jef- ferson High School in Sour Lake, TX, was named. A 12-year veteran of the prep ranks, Fountain’s task was to build and mold the Cowgirl program back to con- tender status. There were obstacles to overcome: the departure of four starters from the previous year, and the lack of opportu- nities for recruiting. What seemed an impossible task was turned into a rallying point. Each member of the Squad was determined to make 1984-85 a successful season. “No one was giving us a chance for a good season,”’ Fountain said. ‘‘They said we 134 Sports had lost too much the previous year to do anything. Our girls took that as a challenge to prove everybody wrong. There was only one return- ing starter, but she was a good One around which to build the foundation. Pam Booker, a ju- nior from Beaumont, TX, was the team’s second leading scorer a year ago with a 13.0 average. She was considered a scoring machine, lacking only in playing experience. Fountain sent 6-0 junior col- lege transfer Donna Berrett into the middle with freshmen, Kim Turner (6-0) at forward and Dorothy Briscoe (5-6) at point guard. The fifth starter, junior Cathy Griffen (5-10), came back after a year’s layoff from knee sur- gery. Those five formed the nucle- us for the season. Bench strength came from guards Pam LaFosse and Lucretia Simpson and inside help froin Kris LeDoux (5-10) and Keri Weston (6-1). What awaited the Cowgirls was a 28-game slate including nationally-ranked South Ala- bama and Northeast Louisi- ana. (The latter would climb to No. 2 in the national rankings by season's end.) ‘It's going to take us time to develop as a team since none of the five have played togeth- er before,’’ Fountain said. ‘‘We also have to worry about our depth because we are thin at every position.” Fountain’s concern over depth became a reality when LeDoux went down with a knee injury the fourth game of the season, and was out for the remainder of the year. The Cowgirls played the re- mainder of the season with just eight players on the roster. Before it ended McNeese continued