Birth Name: Eric “Hank” Gathers

Date of Birth: February 11, 1967

Date of Death: March 4, 1990

Cause of Death: Heart Condition

Known For: Basketball Player

Growing up, Hank Gathers was like many other children. He had a dream. However his dream didn’t consist of becoming president or landing on the moon. His was quite different. His whole life, all he ever dreamed of was playing in the NBA.

He started his journey playing for Dobbins Technical High School in Philadelphia with his best friend and teammate Bo Kimble. They were both then recruited by the University of Southern Carolina playing under the head coach Stan Morrison. They played for one season until the coaching staff was fired and it was reported the players would not remain until certain conditions were met. USC hired George Raveling and having not heard a response from the players, revoked their scholarships. Gathers and Kimble together transferred to Loyola Marymount University where success came with them. Gathers was the second player in NCAA history to lead the nation in both scoring and rebounding when he was only a junior. As a senior he was nominated for Player of the Year and his dream seemed to be coming true. He was planning on being a pick in the NBA draft.

On December 9, 1989 trouble began. Gathers was fouled during a game. When he went to the foul line he felt uneasy and suddenly collapsed. He rose soon after and walked off the court. However, later he was diagnosed as having an abnormal heartbeat. Doctors started treating him with Inderal, which he soon realized was ruining his game. It was making him more tired, woozy, and emotional. To counterbalance these symptoms, he soon started to reduce his dosage. On March 4, 1990 Loyola Marymount University was playing against Portland State at Gersten Pavilion in the West Coast Conference tournament semifinal game. With 13:34 left on the clock in the first half Gathers runs down the court, receives a long lob pass from Terrell Lowery, grabs the ball mid air, and slams it in the basket. As he runs back to get in position with full court press, he collapses. He is taken to the emergency room, and an hour later, he was pronounced dead.

Twenty-six years later, Erik Spoelstra, now a Miami Heat coach who was on the court the night of Hank Gathers’ death, describes the event as “shuddering,” but adds that Gathers was “an unbelievable physical specimen.” Adding to Gather’s legacy, former teammate and best friend Bo Kimble, who was a right handed player, shot his first free throw of each game left handed in memory of Gathers.