Florida basketball's Rueben Chinyelu breaks 50-year record in dominant March Madness win
Rueben Chinyelu’s historic night reflects his unselfish identity during Florida's NCAA tournament win.
TAMPA – The moment was never once about Rueben Chinyelu. In Florida basketball’s dominating first-round NCAA tournament win over Prairie View A&M on Friday night, the Gators’ big man broke a program record that had stood for 50 years. Chinyelu recorded his 19th double-double in a single season – with more opportunities ahead as Florida (27-7) advances to the Round of 32.
Florida men's basketball: Complete coverage of the Gators from the Gainesville Sun Right after reaching the milestone, his teammate and fellow center Micah Handlogten ran up to congratulate him. “Hey, man, congrats, that’s sick,” Handlogten recalled to The Gainesville Sun. Despite already having built up a 30-point lead over Prairie View A&M , Chinyelu’s attention didn’t shift.
“We still have work to do,” Chinyelu replied. By the end of the game, Chinyelu posted 14 points and 13 rebounds. “Even up 50, he was still focused on the game,” Handlogten said.
“That just kind of shows that he doesn’t care about records. He wants to win. It’s inspiring to see where he has come from to where he is now.