Another freshman that found prominence for the black and gold was Bryan Fowler, an All-State honorable mention choice from Oklahoma. Although a lateseason ank le injury sidelined the 6'8" center for the last three games, Fowler learned to play with poise uncommon to a first-year co llegian. Even though they fin ished with a less than sparkling record , the team displayed determination and a tireless desire to climb to the top of their rigidly competitive conference. While they sometimes stumbled, the Bisons never failed to give their all. & Head and Shoulders Above. Tim Smallwood goes in for an easy lay -up as the Evangel players look up. - photo by Public Relations Office . HALT! Shannon Hughes pulls-up to take a short jumper ouer the player from the School of the Ozarks. - photo by Public Relations Office. Air Ballet. David AI/umbaugh leaps high into the air to tip -in the ball for two points . - photo by Public Relations Office. 1984-85 Ale Men's Basketball Results Arkansas Tech University 12-6 Hendrix College 12-6 University of Central Arkansas 11-7 Ouachita Baptist University 10-8 Arkansas College 10-8 University of Arkansas-Monticello 9-9 Henderson State University 9-9 Southern Arkansas University 7-11 Harding University 5-13 College of the Ozarks 5-13 Time to Shine The leading character in a Cinderella story that wou ld rival any, forward Rich Foster has made the amazing transformation from prep school bench-sitter to the leading scorer on the Bisons' team as a senior. Growing up in the small Missouri town of Festus , Foster never dreamed of taking the floor for a college basketball team . In fact , Foster never even saw much playing time unti l he broke into the starting line-up of the Hillsboro High Hawks as a sophomore . "I played for a long time under the shadow of a guy who got all the press clippings," Foster siad. " It was really frustrating, so I finally just decided that it was time for me to shine." Between his junior and senior years in high school, Foster turned the tide of his basketball career with five hours of self-imposed practice each day that polished skills and ultimately made him an above-average player. The lure of the spotlight and Foster's determined training resulted in a senior year that saw him named the Most Valuable Player in the conference while averaging 16 pOints and seven rebounds a game. After his prep school career ended, Foster opted to attend Jefferson City Junior College in Hillsboro. The deciSion, according to Foster , was one that enabled him to further improve his abilities. "I think that if I had gone to a four -year school, I would have ridden the bench for one or two years," Foster explained. "Going to a junior college I got more playing time and developed my playing ability." With two years of coJlege eligiblity rema ining after his junior college tenure , Foster decided that he would become a member of Jess Bucy 's team at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. "I saw what the Bisons had and decided that 1 could fit weJl into the program; 1 felt that I cou ld con tribute to the team," Foster said. - Bobby Davidson Men's Basketball 145
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