What if hank gathers

He could charm a room with his cutting sense of humor but no one ever had to question when he was dead serious. Fearlessly attacking the basket with the shortest of memories and a limited supply of Fs to give, Gathers turned the battle into an endurance test: Block some, block every last one.

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Continue reading this story Already have an account? Create a free account to read 3 articles on us. Create an account to read 3 free articles. Create a free account to continue reading. Subscribe to The Athletic today to save on in-depth insight from the best newsroom in sports. The Loyola Marymount forward shot from the field and from the free throw line. Not many players could hang with Shaq down low in college.

Gathers did just that and dominated him in the process. He got up quickly and walked off the floor, but he was later diagnosed with an abnormal heartbeat.

Gathers missed three weeks of the season while he recovered, but he returned later that season. Soon after he returned, he exploded for the point game against Shaq and LSU. He seemed to have recovered well from taking medication to treat his heart condition. Shortly after a dunk, Gathers stumbled across the court and collapsed again. He struggled to get up from the floor and was on his hands and knees, attempting to stand.

By this time, he was surrounded by medical personnel who were telling him to stay down. Gathers went back down to the floor, on his back, and appeared to lose consciousness. The game clock was stopped with remaining in the first half. It was p. Gathers's mother and his aunt were both at the game, and they came down out of the stands and stood above the doctors attending to Gathers.

Decades later, he was still shaken. After a few minutes, Gathers was lifted onto a stretcher and taken out of the arena as the team physician began cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The public address announcer informed the crowd that the players had gone to their locker rooms for 10 minutes, but 10 minutes became A second announcement was then made that the rest of the game, as well as the evening's second semifinal, which was to have been between San Diego and Pepperdine, would not be played at that time.

The crowd filed out silently. Gathers was pronounced dead at Daniel Freeman at p. The Explorers had the game put away and led by 16 with remaining in the contest when word of Gathers's death reached the sidelines at Knickerbocker Arena. Stunned and distraught, La Salle head coach Speedy Morris reflexively called time-out. As described by a reporter covering the game, Morris then brought his players to the bench and informed them of what he had just learned.

Junior guard Doug Overton, who seconds earlier had been wildly grinning and waving a "No. Unsteadily, Overton stood up and headed down the corridor that leads to the locker rooms at the Knickerbocker Arena. He was sobbing. Teammate Lionel Simmons cried in his mother's arms. The announcers working the game had not yet learned of events at Loyola Marymount, however, and could tell viewers only that "Simmons has suddenly become very emotional, and we don't know why.

WCC commissioner Michael Gilleran announced that night that the rest of the league's tournament had been canceled. As the regular-season champions, Loyola Marymount would be awarded the league's automatic bid for the NCAA tournament.

The next day, Westhead said his players had not yet made a decision on whether to continue with the season but that he would honor whatever course of action they chose. Kimble was already saying that Gathers would want the team to play in the NCAA tournament, and, indeed, in short order the players confirmed their intention to continue the season. Kimble would further announce that, as a tribute to Gathers, he would shoot his first free throw of each game left-handed.

Tom Higgins, told of once having said to Gathers, "You're the only person I've ever met funnier than I am. On Wednesday of that week, the Los Angeles Times anonymously quoted "a cardiologist familiar with the case" who said Gathers had been told to stop playing basketball after the fainting episode in December.

It didn't matter what some doctor told him. On Selection Sunday, the entire Loyola Marymount team was on a flight en route to Philadelphia to attend Gathers's funeral. When word circulated through the plane that the Lions had received a No. Loyola started the game by outscoring NMSU , but an overeager Kimble picked up his fourth foul with remaining in the first half.

Westhead nevertheless left his star in the game, triggering boos of disbelief from Loyola fans and causing one New Mexico State player to tell Kimble his coach must be crazy. Asked about leaving Kimble in the game, the coach would explain, "I firmly believe if you have your best player sitting on the bench, he's of no value.

Kimble never did pick up a fifth foul. When he was fouled in the act of shooting for the first time with left in the game, Kimble stepped to the line.