The sweat. The tears. The buzzer-beating fear.
November is here - and so is Gator basketball.
With football season ending soon, the excitement for basketball season is on the rise. UF students are looking forward to Billy Donovan’s new team — which opens its season against William & Mary tonight at 6 in the O’Connell Center — how well the players will come together after last season’s journey to the Final Four and experiencing the thrilling atmosphere at the Rowdy Reptiles student section.
Lucas Dolengowski, president of the men’s basketball Rowdy Reptiles, is looking forward to the start of basketball season and leading the MBK Rowdy Reptiles for a second year.
“It’s a brand new team, and I think that’s going to be really exciting to see how these guys come together and gel after the team last year had telepathy with each other,” Dolengowski said. “I am also excited to see how we progress as a student section.”
The basketball team’s previous success has nurtured a loyal fan base at Gator basketball games these past few seasons.
Landon Watnick, fourth-year journalism major at UF and a writer for InsidetheGators.com on the Rivals network, considers the Rowdy Reptiles some of the craziest fans in college sports.
“I’ve been to numerous home games and sat in the media row and my head was ringing the entire game,” Watnick said. “That’s proof right there of how passionate they are - it’s a tight-knit student fan group.”
The basketball team’s earlier 32-straight home game wins had a significant influence on UF’s Rowdy Reptiles and the organization’s increased presence at Gator basketball games.
“Since we started this organization two years ago, we haven’t lost at home,” Dolengowski said. “Since then, we’ve had great student numbers at the basketball games for the last two years.”
The Rowdies set out to increase its social media presence last year, hoping to inform younger UF students (freshmen and sophomores) about the organization and what the basketball team is all about, Dolengowski said.
The organization has new goals this year in terms of encouraging students to attend Gator basketball games and improving the overall atmosphere at basketball games with a well-established MBK Rowdies presence at every game.
“Our goal this year is to improve the in-game experience,” Dolengowski said. “We are really working on developing different chants and cheers and maybe tweaking a few things here and there just to make the in-game experience as enjoyable as possible for the students, for the alumni and for the players, because they like what we do.”
Sonya Vachhani, a 21-year-old biology major, loves the overwhelming atmosphere at Gator basketball games and enjoys seeing fans of all ages coming out to support the Gators.
“I was never much of a basketball fan until I went to my first UF basketball game,” Vachhani said. “I was in awe when I saw how much energy the fans had, and it made me feel more energetic and proud to be a Florida Gator.”
As she spends her last year at UF, Vachhani has high hopes for the Gators this year and cannot wait to support the basketball team as they begin this new season.
Vachhani’s favorite part of watching Gator basketball games is simply being there to support the team.
“The coaches and the players put so much time and effort into their practices, and I could definitely sense that while watching the games,” Vachhani said. “It’s great to see our school excel in both academics and athletics.”
Basketball serves as a unifying factor for some students.
Johanna Hernandez, sophomore microbiology major at UF, said her favorite part of attending basketball games was the sense of community when everyone is cheering for a Gator win.
The sense of togetherness is not the only thing Hernandez is looking forward to at Gator basketball games.
“The wins, the stress and being in the student section,” Hernandez said. “I'm excited for everything that comes with basketball season.”
Gators fans cheer during No. 19 Florida's 67-61 win against No. 13 Kansas on Dec. 10 in the O'Connell Center.
