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Not officially associated with the University of Florida Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida

VOLUME 111 ISSUE 126 MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2017

Photos from the Gator’s lossCheck out the best pictures from Florida’s

weekend in Madison Square Garden, pg. 16

Augmented-reality beer cans promote butterfl iesFirst Magnitude Brewing Company will donate fi ve cents from each can to conservation effort, pg. 4

Dance Marathon raises more than $2.7 millionThey raised more than last year , pg. 8

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Grace King / Alligator Staff

From left: Florida forward Justin Leon looks away as South Carolina players celebrate during USC’s 77-70 win over UF on

Sunday in Madison Square Garden. The loss knocked the Gators out of the NCAA Tournament.

By Romy Ellenbogen Alligator Staff Writer

Brian Dassler could rattle eight lines of

poetry in 30 seconds.

He had the poem “Good Enough,” often

recited at the leadership camps he attend-

ed, memorized as a teenager.

Nearly two decades later, Dassler car-

ried its message with him: “Good enough”

was never enough.

Dassler used the philosophy to help fel-

low Gators, inspire students at a Fort Lau-

derdale school and start a charter school

for residents of New Orleans devastated by

Hurricane Katrina.

Dassler, a three-time UF graduate with a

bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degree,

died Tuesday from a blood clot in his lung,

called a pulmonary embolism, said Chuck

Vones, Dassler’s cousin. Dassler was 38

years old.

Emma Humphries, who saw herself as

one of Dassler’s mentees since they met

in 1999, still pictures him reciting the fi -nal lines of that poem: “Good enough is

neither.”

“Brian was good, and Brian was enough,

but Brian would not let ‘good enough’ de-

fi ne his life,” Humphries said. “Florida’s perfect son, that’s what he was.”

A service for Dassler will likely be held

at UF, along with one at Tallahassee.

After graduating, Dassler taught at an

inner-city Fort Lauderdale high school.

Teddy Joseph remembers Brian assign-

ing his class to read “I Know Why The

Caged Bird Sings,” by Maya Angelou.

Joseph didn’t take the assignment seri-

ously at the time, but in the wake of Das-

sler’s death, he said he wants to give the

book another chance.

Joseph said Dassler pushed him to pur-

sue college as he received one rejection af-

ter another.

UF grad who set up school after Hurricane Katrina dies

SEE EPILOGUE, PAGE 4

The 38-year-old died Tuesday

By Matt BrannonSports Writer

Florida’s March magic ran out Sunday.

Two days after his miracle three-pointer

lifted Florida to the Elite Eight, UF guard

Chris Chiozza tried to save his team again.

He made a last-ditch drive to the basket,

down by fi ve points with under 20 seconds left. The ball never made it to the hoop.

South Carolina defender PJ Dozier

stripped and fl ipped the ball ahead to a wide-open teammate for a dunk and a celebration.

The No. 7 seed Gamecocks came back

from a seven-point halftime defi cit to beat No. 4 seed Florida 77-70 in New York. South

Carolina advanced to its fi rst Final Four in school history, while Florida’s season ended

in the Elite Eight.

The Gators carried the momentum from

their Sweet 16 buzzer-beating win over Wis-

consin into a polished fi rst-half performance against South Carolina.

The Gators’ offense had its best start in

the NCAA Tournament with 40 fi rst-half points, shooting 56 percent from the fi eld. After trailing South Carolina 24-20 at one point, the Gators made fi ve straight three-pointers from four players as part of an 18-6

UF run. South Carolina cut Florida’s lead to

seven points heading into halftime, 40-33.

“Obviously happy we made some shots

to put us in this position,” UF coach Mike

White said at the half.

The second half was different. Florida was

in foul trouble fast, committing seven fouls

in fi ve minutes. The Gamecocks attempted 28 second-half free throws to Florida’s eight.

UF’s offense broke down, too. After

making 7-of-12 fi rst-half three-pointers, the Gators didn’t make a shot from beyond the

arc in the second, going 0-for-14 from three-

After remarkable run, Gators lose in Elite Eight

SEE BASKETBALL, PAGE 16

FLORIDA 70 SOUTH CAROLINA 77