It was just a moment. Gathers' mother, Lucille, and other family members were able to view the statue's creation in progress.Gathers collapsed on March 4, 1990, in a West Coast Conference tournament game. LMU to Honor Hank Gathers with Statue to be Unveiled Feb. 29 February 4, 2020 Loyola Marymount University on Feb. 29 will unveil a statue of the late college basketball legend Hank Gathers, who was part of the record-breaking, high-scoring 1989-90 team that became one of the most unforgettable and inspiring stories in college basketball history. The rest of the tournament was canceled and the Lions were awarded the league's NCAA tournament bid because they had won the regular-season title.
He was taken to a hospital where he died at age 23. He was the second player in NCAA history to lead the nation in both scoring and rebounding in the same season.The statue was created by Rotblatt-Amrany, the same studio that designed statues at Staples Center and Michael Jordan's statue outside Chicago's United Center. He was 23.An autopsy determined the cause of death to be cardiomyopathy, a heart muscle disorder. They went on to reach the Elite Eight before losing to eventual national champion UNLV.Gathers' autopsy showed he had a heart muscle disorder. 44 jersey was retired by the school in 2000. The entire team was inducted into LMU's Hall of Fame in 2005.
It came after the blousy material dropped to reveal a statue of basketball legend Hank Gathers, located just outside of Loyola Marymount’s Gersten Pavilion Feb. 29. Former teammates, family, friends and fans will celebrate the late Loyola Marymount University basketball star Hank Gathers on Saturday with the unveiling of …
Loyola Marymount plans to unveil a statue of Hank Gathers this month to mark the 30th anniversary of the school’s run to the Elite Eight after his fatal collapse on the court. A statue of the late Loyola Marymount University basketball star Hank Gathers was unveiled Saturday outside of Gersten Pavilion, four days before the 30th anniversary of his death. A statue of the late Loyola Marymount University basketball star Hank Gathers was unveiled Saturday outside of Gersten Pavilion, four days before the 30th anniversary of his death.Paul Westhead, who coached Gathers at Loyola Marymount, was among the speakers at the 4 p.m. ceremony, held in connection with the Lions’ final regular-season home game.The statue was created by the Fine Art Studio of Rotblatt-Amrany, which has designed several statues at Staples Center, including those depicting Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Jerry West and Shaquille O’Neal, and the Michael Jordan statue inside Chicago’s United Center.Playing in Westhead’s fast-break offense, the 6-feet-7-inch Gathers became the second player to lead NCAA Division I in rebounding and scoring in the same season, averaging 32.7 points and 13.7 rebounds as a junior in the 1988-89 season.Gathers is Loyola Marymount’s all-time leading scorer with 2,480 points in his three seasons after transferring from USC, and first in scoring average, averaging 28 points per game.Gathers collapsed on the court at Gersten Pavilion, 13 seconds after dunking the ball in a semifinal game of the West Coast Conference tournament against Portland on March 4, 1990, and was pronounced dead shortly later at a hospital. The statue will debut outside Gersten Pavilion on Feb. 29, before the Lions' last home game of the season against Gathers' No. It came after the faintest beat of a gasp was immediately followed by applause and cheers, broad smiles and — this being 2020 — selfies. Gathers had collapsed at a game against UC Santa Barbara on Dec. 9, 1989, at Gersten Pavilion after which he was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat.The game against San Francisco will include a recognition at halftime of Loyola Marymount’s 1989-90 team, which advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight following Gathers’ death.
LOS ANGELES -- Loyola Marymount plans to unveil a statue of Hank Gathers this month to mark the 30th anniversary of the school's run to the Elite Eight after his fatal collapse on the court.