European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 6, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday. February 6,1988 the stars and stripes Page 23 gators Sloan ready for 600 elite Gainesville. Fla. A Flor Ida s Norm Sloan is about to join a select group of coaches who have won 600 col lege basketball games. Hold the fanfare though because he considers it a tribute to longevity rather than coaching Genius. I always Tell people l Vlastas Man games As they la Sec in a lifetime Sloan says. I suppose there will be a Lime when i will look Hack and it la mean a lotto me. Right now All it says is i be coached a lot  Sloan is 599-375 after Florida s 74-64triumph Over Alabama wednesday night. Only to other Active Naadi vision 1 coaches Oregon stale s Ralph Miller and North Carolina s Dean Smith have More victories. Sloan went after his spot in the Sun saturday night when the gators took on Auburn. Saturday night. When i look at How Long i be been in this business the thing Hal strikes me is the longevity of it said Sloan in his 36th season As a head coach. "1 Don t want to sound self serving but i Don t think you re going id see any Ralph filters Dean Smiths or Norm sloans anymore. You re not going to see Guys slay in the business that Long. H s a different business so different from the Way i knew it when 1 went Inlo  Sloan. 61, fancies himself As a survivor who inherited struggling programs with every Job change. Still he is not sure lie would have lasted this Long if pressure generated by he financial Sid of the game had been As intense to years ago. In 1974, Sloan led North Carolina state to the National title and the school made 175,000. Florida made its first Ever trip to the Mcaa tournament last year and earned 1600,000 far advancing Lolic Sweet 16. Money has changed basketball 1,000  he said Money that s out there for the Mcaa Money that s Oti there for players who arc pro prospects. Coaches have to Deal will players who Are Prospect As Well As others who Ihrk they Art but Aren t. Now that s pres  Sloan in the eighth season of his Sec Ond slim in Gainesville began his career at presbyterian College in 1951. I next Slop was the Citadel where he staved four seasons before gelling the Florida Job in 1960. Sloan left after he 1965-6 season for North Carolina state where he led theol pack to a 266-127 record in 14 years. He won three Atlantic coast con Ference championships and was named acc car non of the year in 1970, 1973 and 1974. After winning the National championship Sloan figured he was in for the haul a wot pack coach. He was wrong and in 1980 he was Back at Florida. Florida coming off a 7-21 season was looking for a coach to replace John loll Sloan decided logo for it. A new 12,000-Seal Arena and the belief Hal Florida was capable of having one of the Best basketball programs in the Southeastern conference were among the reasons Sloan accepted the Challenge. The gators have never won an Sec title but la a year s trip to the inca tournament was a major breakthrough in a Jess of that goal Florida 16-3, is ranked 19th this week and atop the Sec standings Midway through its in game league schedule. It s the latest the Galon have eve found themselves leading the conference and the race is creating some sleepless nights for Sloan. Winning Hal first one Sec championship there s something about years and years of not doing something he said. There s an added pressure. It s an added problem to do it. Everybody seems to understand what in was like in  the coach said referring to Florida s frustration of going so years without a Sec title. It s the same in basketball. The Only difference is there Are fewer people who really care about basketball White support for Sloan s program is growing average Mien dance has climbed 4,000 to nearly 10,500 since 1984 the coach has come to accept the reality Hal Florida fans May never hold basketball in As High a regard As football. The first year of Sloan s second stint produced a 12-16 record. The gators were 5-22 in 1981-82 and for the tint time As a coach he feared for his Job because of criticism in the Media. I had a pretty Good reputation at North Carolina stale. 1 was set there for life said Sloan who left Jim Valvano the nucleus of Talent that led the Wolf pack to the Mcaa championship in 1983. Hii reputation As a Winner heightened expectation at Florida. What the Media and others failed realize the coach said is Hal in takes time to rebuild a flounder ing program. It was like i had just come out of High school and never coached at the College level Sloan said of the criticism the said Sloan basketball has passed him by Are you kidding me is this game that complicated Fie added. You Only Elay five people at a time. It s not toward to stay up with  the obstacles Sloan faced at Florida was convincing High school coaches and recruits that basketball could coexist will football. Another was stemming the flow of Irr Sale Talent to out of state schools. Doing the latter helped accomplish he former. Florida is headed for in filth consecutive winning season and last year was the Only team in the Mcaa tournament whose starting five wherefrom the state in which that school was located. Sloan plans to coach through 1991 and retire. I decided a Long Lime ago Hal if i m still in the game at 65, in would be Lime to  he said. La ii be time to do other  Jordan Aguirre Rivers All Star game like Homecoming Chicago a each in his own Way Michael Jordan. Mark Aguirre and Glenn Doc riven will make sunday s Aba All Star game a Homecoming. Jordan who appears to be headed for his second consecutive scoring title with More than 3 Points per game hat no played to that Standard in two previous All Star appearances scoring a total of is Points. But As the Chicago bulls brightest Star and Only representative in sunday same Jordan has a Chance to duplicate inc feat of Tom Chambers who scored 34 Points and won most valuable player honors last Jear in front of the Home Croud in Seattle. What i look for at the All Star game is a Good game and a Good time Jordan said. I m going to enjoy playing in Chi Cago. 1 look Forward to playing on Myno Meoeun became i won t have to travel thai  Jordan who got 1.12 million votes in balloting to determine the starters for the Eastern and Western conferences out polled the los Angeles lakers magic Johnson with 1.02 million Voles Ai the most Papular All Star. I d like to How the Home crowd my appreciation for making me the top vote getter Jordan said but he added lathe was t eager to match Chambers feat i Don i quite want to have that kind of game Jordan said. I d just like to win and have a Good  Aguirre and Rivers also will be return ing Home but to their childhood Homes not their professional Homes. Their weekend homecomings however will be decidedly different. Aguirre he fifth leading scorer in the Aba. Is a West can conference Reserve. Close friends with Johnson and Detroit s Isiah Thomas another Chicago native and an Eastern conference starter Aguirre Chow saturday in Chicago As his wedding Day. With his buddies in mind. Aguirre said he and his Bride to be. Angela Bowman knew Earvin magic. Isiah and some of the other Guys would be there soil seemed a Good Lime to get everybody together. 1 did t want to Wail until the summer. I was going to go see the game even if t was t picked. But i m getting married i m playing in the All Star game and i m playing in my Hometown All in one weekend. It will be a weekend for me like no  Rivers will be in Chicago along with coach Mike Fralc Llo and Atlanta team mate Dominique Wilkins an Eastern conference starter at Forward Gratcl Lebroke Boston coach . Jones four year hold on the All Star coach s berth by having the East s Best record on Jan. 24. Being an All Star is on everyone s mind Rivers said. I have no thoughts of a Chambers like performance to be come map. Just making the team is of. It s More important to me to to a win Ner win a championship. If 1 did t have that drive i d never be an All Star. For Rivers making his first All sur appearance in his fifth Aba season. Sun Day s game will be a Symbol of vindication for the Aba teams that did t be Lieve he was Good enough to be a first round draft pick. Five Yean ago on Aba draft Day in 1983, Rivers had one of the worst Days in Chicago. I thought i d be a first round pick teams had told me i would be a first Rounder. I Sal in a hotel room in Chicago with Derek Harper who was picked 12lh by Dallas and became More and More disappointed and upset. When i was finally picked 31st. 1 was crying. 1 Don know if i was crying because i was mad at the teams for not taking me or jus disappointed that was t taken. But being drafted 3in made me work harder. When 1 got to Atlanta in was encouraging when they said they were going to youth movement. Then i went to train ing Camp and there were eight guards trying for five spots and fix of the were veterans. But 1 made in and by mid dle of Rookie year i was Starling and Felt i could be a Good ballplayer. Coach Francl to was always behind me saying i could be an All Star  along with Wilkins Thomas and Jor Dan the East starters will be Larry Bird of Boston and Moses Malone of the Washington bullets. Rivers Maurice Cheeks of Phila Delphia and Boston s Danny Ainge Are the East reserves at guard. New York s Patrick Ewing and Brad Daugherty of Cleveland Are the backup centers and Charles Birkley of Philadelphia and Kevin Mihalc of Boston Are Reserve for wards. For the West Johnson and Lafay Clec fat lever of Denver will Vilart it guard Houston s Akcam Olajuwon at enter and Utah s Karl Malone and Den ver s ales English Ai forwards. The West reserves arc Aguirre Xavier Mcdaniel of Seattle and the lakers James worthy Al Forward the lakers a Arcco Abdul Jabbar and James Don Aldson of Dallas Al Center and Portland s Clyde Drexler and Alvin Robertson of san Antonio at guard. Abdul Jafaar will be making his 17th All Star appearance four More than any other player in Aba history. But the game could belong to the play ers making thei r Homecoming trips. There s a real Chicago connection Fortis  Rivers said. Three of the five guards from the West Are from Chi Cago Isiah Maurice Cheeks and myself Are from Chicago and of course Jordan plays in Here. It should be a real special game for the fans in Chicago and Guys who Are from there. A lot of us played with each other in summer and Agat tul each other and now we re in the no together. It s extremely special for every body to be in All Star game  fat Farn Mark Aulne. Would be there anyway