History Black - Day 21: Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble

Written by wendell maxey | 21 February 2010

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You can’t mention one without thinking of the other.

Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble were basketball brothers from day one.

They grew up in Philadelphia and played high school ball together. They were both recruited by USC. The two Trojans then transferred after their freshmen year of college to Loyola Marymount University where Paul Westhead perfected his up-tempo “10 seconds of less” offense thanks to Gathers and Kimble.

Then they’d get up in your grill and full court press.

Nasty.

Gathers and Kimble were never far from one another; Hank a bruising 6’7 power forward who averaged 32.7 points and 13.7 rebounds per game, Kimble a fundamentally sound point guard who went on to play for the Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks.

Kimble was there each time Gathers went down, the last time more costly than the first.

On December 9, 1989, Gathers collapsed at the free throw line during an LMU Lions home game against the University of California, Santa Barbara. Soon after he was diagnosed with a abnormal heartbeat and prescribed medication, with Gathers later cutting back on his dosage.

It was 1990 at the West Coast Conference tournament against Portland in the semifinals. With roughly 13 minutes left in the half, Gathers put away an alley-oop dunk and began up the court.

He collapsed and died from a heart-muscle disorder.

Eric “Hank” Gathers was 23 years old.

"It was just one moment in time," Kimble once said. "But that moment has been strong enough to last forever."

Kimble (who would at times switch to his left hand and shoot free-throws in honor of his fallen friend) became the eighth overall pick by the Clippers in the 1990 NBA Draft, playing only three years in the league between Los Angeles and New York. Today, Kimble lives in his hometown of Philly, where he runs Bo Kimble Foundation - a nonprofit that refurbishes buildings into affordable housing for low-income families.

No doubt Gathers – with his size, speed and athleticism - would have been a similar selection yet probably with more league longevity.

We never found out.

Thanks to film director Bill Couturie’, his vision of Gather’s story 20 years later and his profound legacy at LMU will be part of ESPN’s 30 for 30 series in 2010.

For those that remember Gather’s rise and sad fall or even know of this tale – or even if you don’t – make sure to check out the documentary when it runs.

Something tells me Bo Kimble will.

The History Black Series - Honoring Black History Month:

February 1: Muhammed Ali

February 2: Gary Payton

February 3: Bo Jackson

February 4: Dr. J

February 5: The Junkyard Dog

February 6: John Starks

February 7: Barry Sanders

February 8: Spud Webb

February 9: Craig Hodges

February 10: The Fab Five