Hank Gathers

At 23 years old, Hank Gathers has this physical status:

Eric "Hank" Gathers (February 11, 1967 – March 4, 1990) was an American college basketball player who died after collapsing during a game.

He was the second player in NCAA Division I history to lead the nation in scoring and rebounding in the same season.

He appeared at the University of Southern California (USC), but he and teammate Bo Kimble were moved to LMU after his freshman year.

Gathers was born in Philadelphia and was described as 6 foot 7 inches (2.01 m) tall.

Early life

Gathers was born in Philadelphia, to Lucille and Eric Gathers Sr. He stayed out of jail by playing basketball in the Raymond Rosen Projects, one of Philadelphia's toughest communities.

Gatherings at Dobbins Technical High School, which is located in one of North Philadelphia's housing projects, played prep ball. He was joined on the team by his younger brother, Derrick Gathers, Bo Kimble, and Doug Overton. In 1984, the Mustangs lost to a Pooh Richardson-led Benjamin Franklin High before winning the championship over Lionel Simmons' South Philadelphia High in 1985.

Personal life

When his son, Aaron Crump, was born, he was 16 years old. Crump was six years old when his father died. Gathers' wrongful death case cost him $1.5 million. When he turned 18, he took over the money. Crump, who later described himself as a "young black male with no guidance" at the time, was having a problem. He pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a weapon and spent time in a state jail from 2007 to 2012. The settlement funds he received from Gathers' death had been squandered by the time he was released. Crump became a salesman. Through the Hank Gathers Legacy Group, which he founded, he also mentors children.

D. J. Rivera, Gathering's uncle, played college basketball and led the America East Conference in scoring with the Binghamton Bearcats in 2008–09, when they won the league for the first time and earned a bid to the NCAA tournament. Jordan Gathers, another nephew, earned a bachelor's degree at St. Bonaventure University and spent three seasons with their Bonnies basketball team from 2011 to 2014. He spent his remaining season with Butler in 2015-2016 as a graduate transfer.

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College career

Gathers and Kimble were not friends until their senior year at Dobbins. Both of them were recruited to the University of Southern California by head coach Stan Morrison and his top assistant David Spencer. During a visit to USC, the two recruits were told that the area around campus was deemed a slum. Gathers and Kimble, however, considered the area to be a suburb compared to their home of Philadelphia. Gathers made up his mind early that he would join USC, while Kimble decided independently and only after spurning Temple late. They were joined on the Trojans by high school All-American, Tom Lewis, and Rich Grande as the "Four Freshmen" star recruiting class. Following an 11–17 season in 1985–86, Morrison and Spencer were fired despite having won the Pac-10 Conference the previous year. It was reported that the players would not remain unless certain conditions were met, including having a say in the next coaching staff.

USC hired George Raveling as the next head coach of the Trojans. Raveling gave the players a deadline to respond whether they would remain on the team. When they did not respond, he revoked the scholarships of Gathers, Kimble, and Lewis. Raveling's controversial statement was, "You can't let the Indians run the reservation," he said. "You've got to be strong, too. Sometimes you have to tell them that they have to exit." Kimble and Gathers transferred together from USC to LMU. Lewis transferred to Pepperdine. Grande remained at USC.

Due to NCAA regulations, Gathers and Kimble could not play in the season following their transfer. They helped lead the Lions to a 28–4 record in 1987–88. Gathers led the team that year in both scoring and rebounding (averaging 22.5 points and 8.7 rebounds per game), was named first-team All-WCC and was awarded the WCC tournament MVP. In the 1988–89 season, Gathers became the second player in NCAA Division I history to lead the nation in scoring and rebounding in the same season, averaging 32.7 points and 13.7 rebounds per game. He was named WCC Player of the Year and again won the WCC Tournament MVP. On December 30, 1988, he scored a career-high 49 points along with 26 rebounds in a 130–125 win over Nevada. After the season, he decided against declaring for the NBA draft.

As a senior in 1989–90, he was a candidate for national player of the year and projected as an NBA lottery pick. Gathers' head coach while at LMU, Paul Westhead, had instituted an extraordinarily fast-paced game plan. On offense, the Lions took numerous three-point shots, and typically shot the ball within 10 seconds of gaining possession. Their defense was a full-court press designed to force their opponents into a frenzied up-and-down game. Gathers' teams led Division I in scoring in 1988 (110.3 points per game), 1989 (112.5), and 1990 (122.4). LMU's 122.4 point per game in 1990 is still a record as of April 2012. As of April 2012, Loyola Marymount held the five highest combined score games in Division I history. Four of the five occurred during Gathers' career, including a record 331 in the 181–150 win over United States International University on January 31, 1989.

At 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) and 210 pounds (95 kg), Gathers was Loyola Marymount's strongest inside player. He had a high field goal percentage because he seldom shot from beyond 10 feet (3.0 m). He used his power and quickness for follow-up baskets and scoring on fast breaks. "I don't care much about the points," said Gathers. "In fact, I should lead the nation in scoring because of my rebounding. Anybody can score 30 points a night if that's what he's concentrating on. But rebounding is special because it comes from the heart."

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