On March 4, 1990, a few days before March Madness, the basketball world was mourned by the death in the middle of a match of Hank Gathers, a true phenomenon of college basketball alongside Bo Kimble (ex-Clippers, Knicks and… Lyon!) under the colors of Loyola-Marymount. In 1989, Gathers finished as the best scorer and best rebounder in the NCAA. He was a potential first draft pick.
But on March 4, 1990, in the middle of a conference tournament, on a counterattack, his heart gave out, and efforts to resuscitate him will be in vain. He was 23 years old.
The NCAA is in shock, and the WAC tournament is completely stopped. A big team with its fiery attack, Loyola-Marymount is automatically registered for March Madness by the university authorities, and Bo Kimble decides to pay tribute to his former teammate and friend in a unique way: right-handed, he shoots first free throw with the left hand.
Loyola-Marymount, the craziest attack in NCAA history
For what ? Because Gathers, who was also right-handed, was so bad at throwing that he sometimes shot left-handed. Facing New Mexico State in the first round of the NCAA tournament, Kimble will shoot this first throw left hand, and his coach remembers it very well. It was March 16, 1990, nearly two weeks after Gathers' death.
“ Before the match, it was calm » will tell Paul Westhead, the coach of Loyola-Marymount. “ I think the players felt like returning to play was a relief. They could finally play. I was so involved in the game that the only time I let off the pressure was when Bo went to shoot his left-handed free throw. It was truly a tribute moment, and I have never wanted in my life so much for a shoot to take place. Then there was a total release of energy. »
Faced with Michigan, in the next round, do it again. Kimble takes his first throw with his left hand, and he strings. Loyola-Marymount wins 149-115 and all of America is behind this small university in the run-and-gun game. In the next round, Alabama decided not to enter the Lions game. The game is tough and contested, and Kimble doesn't take any shots. But his university came out on top (62-60) and qualified for the Elite Eight to challenge the ogre UNLV.
Facing Kimble, an incredible armada with Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, Greg Anthony and Anderson Hunt. The Loyola-Marymount guard does what he can: 42 points on 14 of 32 shots with 8 of 11 from 3-point range. He throws with his left hand, but it won't be enough. UNLV already leads by 20 points at halftime, and ultimately wins 131-101!
“If Hank had been alive, I can guarantee you we would have been champions”
A few days later, Larry Johnson and his teammates will be crowned NCAA champions by also winning by 30 points in the final against Duke! “ I'm going to say this as humbly as possible, and with no disrespect to UNLV, if Hank had been alive, I can guarantee we would have been champions » Kimble explained more than 20 years later. “ At the time, our entire team came together to transform the tragedy into something positive that we were proud of. There was bitterness but I only remember the good times. I remember the free throws. None should have returned. But I wanted them to come in even if it wasn't really important. It was truly to celebrate Hank's life and memory. »
Drafted in 8th position the same year by the Clippers, Bo Kimble will keep this habit of shooting his first free throw with the left hand, shooting at 73% in his career. Ironically, at the time, the Clippers played at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, which they share with the University of Southern California, the first college of… Kimble and Gathers, before they joined together Loyola Marymount.
In 2000, the university united them again to retire their jerseys. As for Kimble, so marked by the death of his friend, he will wait until 2015 to pay his respects at his grave. “ For the first 15, 20 years, every time I thought about it, it was too emotional » he justified himself before adding: “ What makes things a little easier for me is that I no longer think of Hank as a tragedy. I think about all the good times, and what an amazing person he was. He was someone who represented so much happiness and laughter and that usually outweighs the pain of his passing. I chose to celebrate his life. »
| Bo Kimble | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 1990-91 | LAKE | 62 | 16 | 38.0 | 29.2 | 77.3 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 6.9 |
| 1991-92 | LAKE | 34 | 8 | 39.6 | 30.8 | 64.5 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 3.3 |
| 1992-93 | NYK | 9 | 6 | 42.4 | 25.0 | 37.5 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 3.7 |
| Total | 105 | 13 | 38.6 | 29.1 | 72.8 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 5.5 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
