ESPN’s Guru of Go- A Must Watch for BBall Fans

(Paul Westhead, Bo Kimble, Hank Gathers , & Jeff Fryer at the 1989 NCAA tournament)

While it has been 20 years since LMU's Hank Gathers passed away, that moment, and a wonderful story involving Paul Westhead and Bo Kimble, are thoughtfully retold in Guru of Go, the latest episode of ESPN’S 30 for 30. I knew some parts of the tragedy but the documentary uncovered aspects of the story that I forgot, or never new, about.

I enjoyed this documentary immensely because it tells the story of how three individuals persevered from rejection to form one of basketball's most beloved teams. And then despite the mid-season loss of Gathers, Westhead & Kimble somehow lead LMU to the Elite Eight. This documentary is a must watch for every basketball junkie.

Paul Westhead won an NBA Championship with the LA Lakers in 1980 and a WNBA Championship in 2007 with the Phoenix Mercury. He is best known for his fast-paced offense -“pouring gasoline on fire”- that is most evident in his LMU teams of the late 1980’s. Westhead's LMU teams were lead by Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble, who each averaged 30+ points in 1990. While his system is still controversial, and not entirely successful, no one can deny the success he has had with the Lakers, LMU, & Phoenix Mercury.

After winning the 1980 NBA Championship as a rookie head coach, Westhead was fired from the Lakers in 1981. In the documentary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar & Westhead speculate that Magic Johnson didn’t like Westhead’s offense. And at the press conference firing Westhead, Lakers’ owner Jerry Buss all but confirms this. What’s surprising is that they claim that his offensive system was too slow.

After an unsuccessful stint with the Chicago Bulls, Westhead returned to Southern California as the coach of the Loyola Marymount Tigers in 1985. Coaching a small basketball program in the WCC conference was surely a step down from the NBA but his luck changed when he was able to convince two Philly kids (Gathers & Kimble) to transfer from USC.

(Bo Kimble & Hank Gathers)

It’s not quite clear why they transferred but their scholarships were revoked (academically ineligible according to USC) following their freshman year and the arrival of new coach George Raveling. Interestingly, Raveling would go on to become one of USC’s most highly regarded basketball coaches.

Gathers & Kimble were perfect for Westhead’s offense which would try to outscore & wear opponents down with a relentless running attack. Their strategy involved taking shots early in the shot clock (within 10 seconds?). The point guard would drive down the middle of the court with the shooting guard and small forward filling the right & left sides of the court. If they couldn’t get a shot with this initial push they would hit the power forward or center trailing down the middle. This system, which provided plenty of open space, allowed Gathers to use his superior quickness and shooting to easily score on bigger opponents. Gathers, an undersized power forward at 6' 7", excelled in this system becoming the second player to lead the NCAA in scoring (32.7 ppg) and rebounding (13.7 rpg) in the same season.

Lead by Kimble & Gathers, LMU was building momentum for the NCAA tournament when Gathers collapsed in a WCC tournament game against Portland on March 4th, 1990. This segment of the documentary is especially difficult to watch. Twenty years later it’s still hard to comprehend how a world class athlete can just collapse on the court. To make the situation even more tragic, Gathers’ family is attending the game and you see Hanks’s mom & aunt on the court pleading with doctors to help him.

After Gathers’ initial collapse, he gets up and refuses to lay down despite trainer Chip Shaefer’s (now with the Lakers) recommendations. Eventually he lays down, or collapses, and you can see his chest expanding & contracting as he struggles to breath. Gathers passes away soon after at a local hospital. Officially, Hank Gathers died from cardiomyopathy and an autopsy showed that he was not taking his medications.

The LMU team, the university, and legions of basketball fans are left wondering how to grieve, and process what has happened. After Gathers’ funeral, the story takes another turn as the LMU players decide to continue their season by participating in the NCAA tournament.

Somehow basketball itself is used as a way to grieve and pay tribute to Gathers. Bo Kimble honors Hank by shooting his first free throw of every game left-handed. Kimble leads LMU (through defending champion Michigan) to the Elite Eight where they succumb to the eventual champion UNLV.

Westhead resigns when the season is over. Like any other responsible authority figure, I’m sure he wonders if he could have somehow saved Hank. The Gathers family sues LMU eventually settling for $1.2 million. In the documentary, Hank’s brother regrets the lawsuit and places blame on our litigious culture. Westhead kept coaching, eventually winning a WNBA Championship in 2007.

Paul Westhead coaches the women's basketball team at the University of Oregon. On February 19th, 2000, LMU retired the jersey numbers of both Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble.