photo of Hank Gathers: washingtontimes.com
March Madness is unequivocally my favorite time of year. For the next few weeks, we’ll examine some of the greatest performers who used the NCAA Tournament as their own personal playground.
North Philadelphia born and raised, on the playground was where they spent most of their days.
The first time they met, Eric “Hank” Gathers and Gregory Kevin “Bo” Kimble were in junior high school. Bo went over to the Moylan Playground in North Philly on 23rd and Diamond to run with his cousin. While Bo was throwing down some dunks on a rim that was a little higher than the standard 10-feet, Hank wandered over to watch.
“Where you play at, man?” Hank asked. The two got to talking and instantly hit it off.
Kimble was a regular at Whittier Playground and already had something of a reputation in the City of Brotherly Love. Both boys lived for the game.
“We played outdoors 365 days a year,” Kimble wrote in his book, For You, Hank. “In the winter, I had my own shovel, which I carried with me when it snowed.”
As sunlight faded on their first meeting on the Moylan courts, Hank parted with these words – “All right, man, I just wanted to check out who was dunkin’. If you ever want some work, just come up the block. I live over there.”
photo of Hank Gathers: nytimes.com
He nodded toward the notorious Raymond Rosen Projects, one of Philly’s roughest. Hank was raised by his mother and aunt, who demanded that the Gathers boys make something of themselves. Even by the city’s tough standards, the Rosen Projects were treacherous. Rows of two story apartment buildings with dirt yards and chain link fences and the high rise structures with poorly lit, filthy hallways, leaking pipes and smashed windows housed a little hope and a lot of despair.
“Hank lived on the first floor, where it was especially bad because of street fights – noise and crashing near his door, whether it was three in the morning or three in the afternoon,” said Kimble. “Hank grew up with all kinds of people who never made it to the age of twenty. There were four people Hank knew who all died from drug overdoses in just a few months over one summer. It was nothing to walk out in the morning and find that someone you knew, a neighbor, a friend, someone you played with only a day ago had been murdered the night before.”
photo of north philly’s rosen projects on the day they were demolished: photobucket.com
Kimble lived a few blocks away, and also had to navigate a rough path. During one pick-up game, his teammates started chasing someone they saw outside the park. Walking toward the fence to watch, he saw one dude pull out and start blasting, shooting his victim in the head.
While Bo already possessed a deadly outside jumper and could slam when he was well under six-feet, Hank was very rough around the edges. Gathers got started as an awkward, skinny sixth grader who was known for his relentless rebounding and work ethic.
photo of bo kimble: si.com
His elementary school coach, Father Dave Hagen at St. Elizabeth’s opened his home to a lot of North Philly kids that loved ball. Hank, his brothers, Bo and others hung out there watching NBA, college and high school games on VHS tapes.
“I used to play Hank on the low post because he was the weakest shooter on the team,” Faher Dave once told Kimble. “Hank couldn’t shoot the ball. But he tried so hard. He ran the floor, and even then, he rebounded well.”
While waiting for his skills to keep pace with his desire and urge to compete, he still managed to get busy.
“He was totally committed to basketball, which, given his nature, meant that if you did something on the court, he was going to do you one better,” said Kimble. “It didn’t matter one damn if you could shoot better, run faster, jump higher. He was going to outdo you. That’s all there was to it.”
photo: si.com
On the court, Bo was the smooth one. And Hank was the one that nobody wanted to match up against when fighting for boards. He was also, among those in his inner circle, a hilarious comedian with the gift of being able to mimic anyone.
“He was sharper, funnier, more energetic, and twice as retarded as Richard Pryor,” said Kimble. “At father Dave’s, Hank was the center of attention, hands down. No one was even close.”
The two friends grew closer when they began playing in the same summer programs in the legendary Sonny Hill League. And it was Hank, the player who got by on nothing but heart, that provided the compass for Kimble, who was regarded as The Chosen One.
“I saw in Hank this total committment to getting what he wanted,” said Kimble. “He wanted the same thing I did: basketball. But there was nothing – nothing in all those distractions and dangers in the neighborhood, nothing in his own makeup – that was going to keep him from getting to where he wanted to go. I loved and admired his determination, and I could identify with it. You knew right away, even while he wasn’t the best player around, that he was going to get his goal. He had in his makeup, even while he was just a teenager, this awesome strength that would help him overcome the damn neighborhood, the dope, the violence, the needles, the narcs, the cons, the deals, the competition, even the limitations he had as a player. He was going to make it through. I like to think that spirit rubbed off on me.”
photo of Hank Gathers: wikimedia.com
The boys became brothers, drawing on the power of their bond to elevate one another. They laughed, fussed and fought with each other like an old married couple. And they were hell on wheels as teammates on the floor.
After polishing their skills playing “Rough House” in the parks and refining the nuances in the Sonny Hill league against Philly’s finest at the time – Pooh Richardson, Brian and Rodney Shorter, Doug Overton and The “L” Train, Lionel Simmons – Bo and Hank took their game to Dobbins Tech. As freshman, along with the core of Darrell Gates and Hank’s brother Derrick, they ran JV. Hank stood 6′1″, 135 pounds. As sophomores, they all made varsity together. The summer before their junior year, Hank grew to 6′6″ as muscles began spreading on his once skinny frame. That season, Doug Overton came to Dobbins and they came up short against Pooh Richardson’s Franklin High team in the city championships.
Senior year, in ‘85, they beat Lionel Simmons’ Southern High squad to take the prestigious city title, the first ever in Dobbins’ history. Hank and Bo went to college at the University of Southern California together. When coach Stan Morrison got fired, they transferred to Loyola Marymount, where they would make history.
You think, Mike D’Antoni was doing something slick when he instituted the “shoot within seven seconds or less” offense with the Pheonix Suns? He simply dusted off what coach Paul Westhead did at Loyola Marymount back in the late ’80s and early ’90s. After sitting out a season because of NCAA transfer rules, Hank and Bo went berserk as juniors.
Gathers became only the second player in NCAA history to lead the entire country in both scoring, with 33 ppg and rebounding, with 14 rpg. Kimble was also getting bizmark, raining three’s like water and getting to the hole. They were the centerpiece for what is arguably the most entertaining college basketball team ever. LMU ran at a frenetic pace, pressing full court the entire game.
photo of Bo Kimble raising up: si.com
But trouble came when Gathers collapsed in a game against Santa Barbara in December of ‘89 and was found to have an abnormal heartbeat. After being cleared to play again, after numerous tests and under medication, Hank hit the courts with the same ferociousness as before. In March of ‘90, he collapsed in a West Coast Conference Tournament semi-final game and passed away on the court.
He was only 23 years old, a certain NBA lottery pick who reminded many of a young Charles Barkley. The autopsy found that he suffered from a heart-muscle disorder, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. As a college student in Philly at the time who followed the game with the same passion I do today, I was part of the city that cried a collective tear that day.
In his absence, Kimble, who led the country in scoring that season with 35 ppg, pushed Loyola Marymount to the Elite Eight, where they lost to eventual national champ, the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels. Kimble shot the first free throw of each tourney game lefty, in honor of his best friend and surrogate brother.
photo: si.com
The jerseys of Bo Kimble and Hank Gathers are retired at Loyola Marymount. Bo was picked 8th overall by the L.A. Clippers in the ‘90 NBA draft. His brief, three year career was cut short by injuries.
And even though Hank is no longer with us, his relentless determination and hard work around the basket will never be forgotten by those that witnessed it. And it was the asphalt of Philly that marinated these two great talents. Together, with that swagger and confidence that was honed outdoors in one of the country’s toughest environments, they formed one of the greatest shows the college game has ever seen. R.I.P. Hank.
Today, Gersten Pavilion, LMU’s home court, is unofficially known as “Hank’s House.”
THE PLAYGROUND IS NOT THE PROBLEM. IT IS THE SOLUTION!
October 29th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
illest says:
some of the most fun ive ever had watching basketball was watching loyola marymount from 88-90. they were unbeliveable. i remember the night when gathers died and espn showed him falling to the court. i was sick.
October 29th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
ali says:
that was the definition of a high octane offense. with hank down low and bo on the perimeter, they could have done the impossible and won the whole thing. yeah, illest, watching that was tough. i take solace in the fact that he died doing the thing he most loved.
October 29th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
g says:
that all seemed so surreal with him dying like that. you see him playing so hard and in such great shape,couldnt fathom how that could happen to him. the illest vision i have was when the game against unlv was decided in the last few minutes and paul westphal pulled his starters. bo kimble went to the bench and cried so hard,the hurt and anguish in his face,indescribable…….
October 29th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
funkalot says:
Loyola Marymount were exciting to watch during the late eighties early nineties. Their group also included deadeye shooter Jeff Fryer (who could give you 40 on a given night) and former Major Leaguer, Terrell Lowery.
I loved that Paul Westhead, like Denny Crum, was not afraid to schedule tough intersectional games. In ‘89-’90, Bo Kimble scored in consecutive games, without Hank,53pts in a win against Oregon State (Gary Payton 48 pts) and 46pts in a losing effort versus Billy Tubbs’ Oklahoma squad. They took a Shaq and Chris Jackson led LSU contingent to overtime, eventually losing, with Shaq recording a triple double 20p 24r and 12 blocks, Chris Jackson – 34p and 9 dimes, while Hank scored 48pts and Bo chipped in with 32p. But my favorite games were them versus UNLV, that year. Ironically, they began and ended their season with losses to the Running Rebels. One of my favorite college plays of all-time occurred in the first match-up, where Anderson Hunt circled Hank Gathers out at half court and two hand tomahawked on him. It was , reminiscent of the ‘82 Final Four dunk by Houston’s Benny Anders on Louisville’s Charles Jones.
Bo and Hank, also, influenced the first lady of Philly ball Dawn Staley. I know that she was profoundly impacted by Hank’s presence and has spoken openly about it.
They and the LMU squad were fun to watch as were a lot of the programs during that time who decided to play a wide open style of offense (Louisville, Arkansas, Vegas, Oklahoma, LSU, etc). I would love to see that type of ball, again. I miss them and those days.
October 29th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
ali says:
the loyola marymount lsu game was crazy. one of the grestest college games of all time. try this one on for size, final score was 151-144!!! like you said funk, chris jackson, later known as mahmoud abdul-raof, shaq, fryer, bo and hank. Spankin Hank from north philly had 48 joints and 17 re’s on Shaq Daddy, owned him all day. LMU avg’d 122 a game. that’s sick even by pro standards.
bo and hank’s pg in high school, his street name was Heat, was a beast. if he had his grades together, he could’ve played anywhere he wanted. the battles between him and pooh richardson are legendary.
and i miss those disciplined run and gun teams myself. you couldn’t step away from the tv until halftime, unless you wanted to miss something incredible. don’t worry, we’ll see it again. with D’antoni’s success running it with the suns, it will trickle down and make a comeback.
October 29th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Casey Lee says:
I live in North Philly currently because I go to school at Temple. Philly is not what it used to be with talent and Bo and Hank are classic examples! Nobody plays like they used to play back in the day…
Don’t get it twisted: North Philly still has ballers though!
October 29th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Casey Lee says:
I live in North Philly currently because I go to school at Temple. Philly is not what it used to be with talent and Bo and Hank are classic examples! Nobody plays like they used to play back in the day…
Don’t get it twisted: North Philly still has ballers though!
>>Ali, where’d you go to school?
October 29th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Amos says:
First..I wanna give a wonderful RIP for the man Hank Gathers..Hank was one of the greatest that people never got the chance to know…they really defined basketball and not only that..came from my high school so i must give them essential props for the love for the game they have blessed us to watch over the years. but big up cuz they are former Dobbins Prospect that was coached by a legendary coach that i had the chance to be under..Rich Yankowitz..big ups and much love….Norf Philly 2 the death of it!
October 29th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
ali says:
casey lee,
i went to upenn and spent a lot of time at temple. had some friends over there and family that lived in north philly. i dipped into mcgonigle on the regular to check out guys like mark macon, eddie jones, aaron mckie and the incomparable john chaney.
October 30th, 2008 at 8:31 am
illest says:
mark macon…..another one of those players that have been slept on over the years but was a joy and incredible to watch. the shakin and bakin in his game. i loved those temple teams.
October 30th, 2008 at 8:53 am
ali says:
my gosh illest,
mark macon’s freshman year, he was bananas! temple had it going on with howie evans at the point, mark macon at the 2, tim perry and ramon rivas down low. i loved that temple team. mark macon was my favorite college basketball player that year ‘87-’88.
sherman douglass, one of dc’s finest was putting it in at syracuse, jerome lane, sean elliot, hersey hawkins, mookie blaylock, jr reid, gary grant, jerome lane and fennis dembo were doing their thing. but macon, as a freshman, lit up the country.
October 30th, 2008 at 9:05 am
ramon says:
Wow, that article took me back a couple decades easily.
I was a manager on the basketball team for my high school (before I started my illustrious track career) freshman and sophomore year, and Central played Dobbins during a regular season game. I’d seen these guys play at Moylans (It’s at 23rd and Diamond, I grew up at 27th & Diamond) but did not know they were on the same team. I never saw Central get beat so badly. I remember one play when it looked like Bo Kimble took off from the top of the key and dunked over one of our guys. They were just that big, and that dominant. Coach Yank (Dobbin’s coach) was a good guy, and also influenced another product of Dobbins Tech – Dawn Staley. She and my brother Ralph were classmates at Dobbins.
When crack hit North Philly, it started at Rosen. This place was a mess. BUT, there were a lot of decent people that lived in and around the area, including my family.
I worked the breakfast shift at McDonalds up in Mt Airy, and I had to be there by 5am. I would leave my crib at 4, walk up diamond street to Broad (through the PJs) to get to the broad street line. It was the only public transportation running that early. At 4 in the morning, I distinctly remember thinking to myself “what the hell are all these people doing up this time in the morning”. Crackheads. It was a mess. Photos bring back memories, huh?
I also dated a girl that lived in Raymond Rosen.
October 30th, 2008 at 9:36 am
ali says:
yo ramon,
whitney houston said it best, “crack is wack!”
thanks for the first hand account. yo, i’m from brooklyn. not the gentrified brooklyn, but from back in the “warriors, come out and plaayaay!” brooklyn. and when i went to north philly, every time, i was like “goodness gracious!” not a pretty place.
October 30th, 2008 at 11:25 am
kenny Patt says:
I had 2 friends that moved from Philly to NY during those yrs in H.S. They raved about Gathers and Kimble during their senior yrs. They also said that Bruiser Flint was one of the nicest PG’s out there. I never forgot because I then saw all of these guys play a few yrs later.
October 30th, 2008 at 11:59 am
ali says:
their high school team must have been incredible. i used to watch Doug Overton when he played with Lionel Simmons at LaSalle and he was one heckuva college point guard.
October 30th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
illest says:
overton and simmons were great to watch. randy woods too. the big five used to be ill to watch.
October 30th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
ali says:
yo illest,
i practically lived at the palestra checking out those big five games. penn was competitive with all those teams, ‘nova, temple, lasalle and st joe’s. walt frazier jr was nice as penn’s pg. and we also had hassan duncombe from brooklyn’s westinghouse hs down low. miss those big five joints at the palestra. lionel simmons was the truth!
October 31st, 2008 at 2:04 pm
funkalot says:
Ali,
Speaking of Illadelph , while in school at Ivy Penn, did you ever watch Brian “Sad Eyes” Watson do his thing out there and who were some of the others on the Philly playground scene, during that time?
October 31st, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Risse says:
yo I remember so vividly the year Hank and Bo played at LMU…that was some great hoops right there! i remember the night Hank died and just how hard it was for Bo Kimble to play on…but play on he did and it was so amazing to see him in the NCAA tourney that year, when he would shoot the left-handed free throws.
Ali, I absolutely LOVE these “The Playground Gave Us..” pieces. Please keep doing what you do!
November 3rd, 2008 at 11:55 am
ali says:
risse,
if you are ms. lambert, aka town biz, i’m holding on to that compliment with the kung fu grip. i enjoy your writing as well. i won’t let the cat out the bag, but the joint you did for the next issue, bounce #18? oh my lord! FIRE.
March 4th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
kyle keiderling says:
Hank Gathers is the subject of my new book, HEART OF A LION:The life, death and legacy of Hank Gathers, to be published Nov.1, 2009 to coincide with the 20th anniversary of LMU’s remarkable 1989-90 season. Westhead said of that year, filled with incredible highs and desolate lows,” We are not likely to see another like it in our lifetimes.”
Hank was a unique personality. He was the kind of person who touched men’s souls. No one who met him ever forgot him.
Kimble’s emotional tribute to Hank during the NCAA tounament, one of the most iconic moments in all of sports, has been chiosen as one of the memorable moments in college basketball history by ESPN, CBS College Sports and Dick Vitale’s 2008 book, The 50 Greatest Moments in College Basketball. (Kimble supplies the forward to HEART OF A LION.)
Hank dared to dream in a place wheer dreams go to die. He followed his dream to the end. Hank has been gone 19 years- but The DREAM IS ALIVE.
You can reserve a copy of the book at the website, http://www.hankgathersbook.com.
March 17th, 2009 at 9:24 am
ali says:
great kyle,
we’ll be sure to pass the word along. i, for one, look forward to reading it.
March 17th, 2009 at 11:59 am
Blk Caesar says:
Great piece as usual man.. I too enjoyed watching LMU play back in the day.. That ride through the NCAA’s and the eventual loss to Vegas had me glued to the TV. Gathers was killing Shaq in that LSU game. Classic material. Shakin’ bakin’ Mark Macon!!!! I have not heard that name in years(his freshman year was crazy)… Oh and you can’t mention Eddie Jones and Aaron McKie without saying Rick Brunson.. I peeped that Temple squad at the old ECAC holiday tourney they used to have at MSG back in the day.
March 17th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
ali says:
yeah cease!
i used to watch that temple crew in the big five battles at the palestra, whew, marc macon’s freshman year, with howie evans, tim perry and ramon rivas? bananas! and you’re right – that temple crew w/ jones, mckie and brunson were a problem!
and if there was any doubt about what hank gathers would have been as a pro, all they have to do is look at what he did to shaq. shaq definitely did his thing w/ 20 pts, 24 rebounds and 12 blocks but HANK GAVE HIM 48! Bo had about 30 also.
and we can’t forget the great mahmoud, aka chris jackson, who sizzled for 34 of his own to go along w/ 9 dimes. them dudes were gettin’ buckets.
March 17th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
L says:
Mr. Lee
On point as usual. I remember watching the tourney and seeing Bo shoot those left-handed free throws and getting a little choked up. I know he wanted to win those games, but he felt he had to do that to honor his boy. That’s real life there.
Ramos – good to hear from you.
March 17th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
ali says:
yeah L,
thanks for your input. i remember getting choked up too. and the crazy thing is, and i might be wrong, but i don’t think he missed any of those left handed free throws. those two had an indescribable bond.
March 17th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
ali says:
hey funk,
i just realized that i didn’t answer your question about sad eyes watson and other philly playground ballers. most of the ball i soaked up in philly was at the palestra and mcgonigle. in the summers, when the baker and other stuff was poppin’ off, i was in NY.
but i do remember hearing about sad eyes, as well as other dudes like pick brown, dink whitaker, world stokes, magic cromwell, etc.
March 20th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
inspiredworlds says:
you guys have some crazy stories and memories, especially funkalot!
was this story posted ages ago? i remember reading this. nonetheless, enjoyable read. like myself, i’m sure everyone wonders how great hank gathers could have been if he made it the NBA. RIP.
March 24th, 2009 at 9:08 am
ali says:
inspired worlds,
this post was from a few months back. i brought it back from the archives on the march madness re-mix tip. glad you enjoyed it again.