It’s hard to explain today what happened after Hank Gathers died, on the court, on March 4th, 1990.
Gathers played for Loyola Marymount, where Paul Westhead had gone after his disagreement with Magic Johnson saw him fired by the Los Angeles Lakers and after a short subsequent tenure with the Chicago Bulls as well.
Westhead turned Loyola Marymount into a team that put immense pressure on other squads with offense. The Lions generally tried to shoot within 10 seconds and averaged about 110 points per
game. It was highly effective but Gathers, who had a known heart condition and apparently wasn’t taking his medication, collapsed during a WCC Tournament game and passed away.
LMU entered the NCAA tournament as a #11 seed and they were playing through grief. They started with a big 111-92 win over New Mexico State before utterly demolishing defending champion Michigan, 149-115.
Throughout the tournament, Bo Kimble, who went to high school with Gathers and then USC before transferring to LMU, took his first free throw of every NCAA game left handed in tribute to his late friend, making them all.
The Lions rode that emotion to a narrow 62-60 Sweet Sixteen win over Alabama before falling to UNLV in the Elite Eight, 131-101.
Marymount played with immense passion and were unbelievably explosive. It was one of the great stories of NCAA tournament history.
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