University of Florida - Tower / Seminole Yearbook (Gainesville, FL)

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Men ' s Basketball 119 K. Rotberg Growing up with twelve brothers and sisters, center Eugene McDowell learned early how to be part of a team. Although McDowell knew his home life was important, he never figured it would help him with his basketball career. Growing up in a big family taught me how to cooperate. My family has supported me and that ' s helped me improve my game, McDowell said. As McDowell ' s game improved, the Florida basketball team also gained momentum. Both McDowell and the team had SEC on their minds. The team has really improved since I ' ve been here, we have learned how to win. We had the talent to win the SEC, we only needed to play consistently. Winning the SEC would be the greatest moment in my basketball career. — Eugene McDowell Senior

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Dunks Captivate Fans - The season brought many accomplishments to the Gator basketball squad. Not only did the team win games, but, finally, it won the support of Gator fans. The word basketball was rarely spoken by Gator fans and going to an actual game was unheard of. But, thanks to the efforts of coach Norm Sloan and a spectacular basketball team, people everywhere realized there was more to Florida than just football. Fans at home games averaged 8,000 in 1984 and the Florida vs. Florida State match-up saw a record crowd of over 13,000 fans, the largest amount of ever to watch a collegiate basketball game in the state of Florida. The growing support for basketball was encouraging to the players, trainers and coaches and they, in return, the fans with an exciting year in sports. The year ' s regular season was like a rollercoaster ride, exciting, scary, but well worth the trip. The Gators started the season with a seven game winning streak before entering SEC competition. On the road, the Gators captured big wins over tough competitions Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Kentucky. This was the first time the Gators had been able to beat all three teams away from home. After beating Ole ' Miss by nearly 20 points at the O ' Dome, Florida found on top of SEC standings where they stood for most of the season. Much of the Gators success is attributable to strong backcourt players like center Eugene McDowell and forwards Randall Leath, Francisco Leon and Joe Lawrence. On the perimeter were sharp shooters Vernon Maxwell, Daryl Greshan and Andrew Moten. With confidence in the team steadily increasing, a strong 84-85 season to build on and bright recruiting chants of SEC may someday become murmurs of NCAA. — Donna Bartee and Tina 1) Vernon Maxwell, Mr. Basketball in the state of Florida as a high schooler, shows off his McDowell-like form. 2) Andrew Moten came into the 1985 season as the SEC Freshman-of-the-year. 3) Center Eugene McDowell, was nicknamed the Dunking Machine honoring his spectacular form. 1) K. Rotberg 2) K. Rotberg 118 Men ' s Basketball

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From SEC To NIT After the Gator basketball team won their first nine consecutive games, basketball enthusiasts everywhere thought the Gators were the number one choice to an SEC title. They were wrong. Despite a strong opening, the Gators ended the season with a respectable, but unspectacular, 18-11 overall record. In the SEC Championships at Birmingham, Alabama, the Gators again had a stroke of beginners luck squeaking by 58-55. Their stay in Birmingham was brief, however, as they suffered a one point loss to Auburn 43-42. This loss eliminated the Gators from the conference. Along with being eliminated from the SEC tournament, the Gators were later snubbed by the NCAA tourney selection committee who took five other SEC teams including Kentucky and the newly crowned SEC Champs, Auburn. Instead, Florida had to settle for a National Tournament (NIT) bid, pushing their SEC dreams, once again, to the wayside. — Tina Gonsalves