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| '''Hank Gathers''' |
'''Eric "Hank" Gathers''' (], ] – ], ]) was an ] ] star at ] who collapsed and died during a game. | ||
| In the ]-] season, he became the second player in history to lead ] ] in scoring and rebounding in the same season, averaging 32.7 points and 13.7 rebounds per game. Although he was unquestionably a strong ] prospect, his statistics were to a degree inflated by the offense Loyola Marymount employed. LMU's coach at that time, ], had instituted an extraordinarily fast-paced game plan. On offense, the Lions took numerous three-point shots and typically shot the ball within 10 seconds of gaining possession; their defense was a full-court press designed to force their opponents into a frenzied up-and-down game. | |||
| The first sign of weakness came on ], ], when he collapsed during an LMU game. He was found to have an abnormal heartbeat, and was prescribed a ]. However, he felt that the medication adversely affected his play, and soon cut back on his dosage, against medical advice. He would collapse again during the first half of a ] tournament game against ] just after scoring on an alley-oop dunk. This time, he never got up, and was declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital. An autopsy found that he suffered from a ] muscle disorder, ]. | |||
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| {{lived|b=1967|d=1990|key=Gathers, Hank}} | |||
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Revision as of 07:22, 16 July 2005
Eric "Hank" Gathers (February 11, 1967 – March 4, 1990) was an American college basketball star at Loyola Marymount University who collapsed and died during a game.
In the 1988-89 season, he became the second player in history to lead NCAA Division I in scoring and rebounding in the same season, averaging 32.7 points and 13.7 rebounds per game. Although he was unquestionably a strong NBA prospect, his statistics were to a degree inflated by the offense Loyola Marymount employed. LMU's coach at that time, Paul Westhead, had instituted an extraordinarily fast-paced game plan. On offense, the Lions took numerous three-point shots and typically shot the ball within 10 seconds of gaining possession; their defense was a full-court press designed to force their opponents into a frenzied up-and-down game.
The first sign of weakness came on December 9, 1989, when he collapsed during an LMU game. He was found to have an abnormal heartbeat, and was prescribed a beta blocker. However, he felt that the medication adversely affected his play, and soon cut back on his dosage, against medical advice. He would collapse again during the first half of a West Coast Conference tournament game against Portland State just after scoring on an alley-oop dunk. This time, he never got up, and was declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital. An autopsy found that he suffered from a heart muscle disorder, cardiomyopathy.
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