How About Some Basketball?
Posted by: Bradley McDonald
Get those brackets ready! Some teams have already punched their ticket to the Big Dance by winning their conference tournament.
Last night I watched Loyola Marymount Univeristy come within a missed layup of upsetting No. 4 Gonzaga in the championship game of the West Coast Conference Tournament. The 12-18 Lions gave Gonzaga all they could handle and reaffirmed my belief that Gonzaga is overrated.
Everytime I see or hear about LMU this time of year, I think back to the 1990 season and the story of Hank Gathers. LMU was a running and gunning team that year that averaged a record 122 points a game. They came to LSU and lost 148-141 in overtime in one of the most exciting games I've ever seen.
Later that year, Gathers, who led the NCAA in scoring and rebounding in '89, collapsed during a game and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital, felled by an existing heart condition.
The Loyola team found motivation from within and went on an inspiring run into the NCAA tournament. The 11th seed made it all the way to the Elite Eight, led by Gather's best friend, gaurd Bo Kimble. It wasn't all the points Kimble scored in leading his squad that people remember, though. It was four free throws he shot.
Kimble promised that he would shoot his first free throw in each game left-handed, in honor of Gathers, who struggled so much with foul shots that he had converted to shooting them left-handed. Bo kept his promise and converted every free throw that he took left-handed, not an easy feat for any right-hander.
I was only 11 years old at the time, but the memory of Kimble sinking a free throw left-handed is one of the most vivid memories of any NCAA tournament. It still gives me chill bumps when I see the replays.
As Dan Levitar wrote, "They couldn't bring him back, so they played with his spirit, and that carried them a little higher, above their despair. It was moving, watching that, mourning death and celebrating life all at once."
Get those brackets ready! Some teams have already punched their ticket to the Big Dance by winning their conference tournament.
Last night I watched Loyola Marymount Univeristy come within a missed layup of upsetting No. 4 Gonzaga in the championship game of the West Coast Conference Tournament. The 12-18 Lions gave Gonzaga all they could handle and reaffirmed my belief that Gonzaga is overrated.
Everytime I see or hear about LMU this time of year, I think back to the 1990 season and the story of Hank Gathers. LMU was a running and gunning team that year that averaged a record 122 points a game. They came to LSU and lost 148-141 in overtime in one of the most exciting games I've ever seen.
Later that year, Gathers, who led the NCAA in scoring and rebounding in '89, collapsed during a game and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital, felled by an existing heart condition.
The Loyola team found motivation from within and went on an inspiring run into the NCAA tournament. The 11th seed made it all the way to the Elite Eight, led by Gather's best friend, gaurd Bo Kimble. It wasn't all the points Kimble scored in leading his squad that people remember, though. It was four free throws he shot.
Kimble promised that he would shoot his first free throw in each game left-handed, in honor of Gathers, who struggled so much with foul shots that he had converted to shooting them left-handed. Bo kept his promise and converted every free throw that he took left-handed, not an easy feat for any right-hander.
I was only 11 years old at the time, but the memory of Kimble sinking a free throw left-handed is one of the most vivid memories of any NCAA tournament. It still gives me chill bumps when I see the replays.
As Dan Levitar wrote, "They couldn't bring him back, so they played with his spirit, and that carried them a little higher, above their despair. It was moving, watching that, mourning death and celebrating life all at once."
I love this story - thanks for sharing.
Posted by
Anonymous |
Wed Mar 08, 11:35:00 PM 2006
Vanderbilt player Davis Nwankwo almost died from an enlarged heart this week. Thankfully, the teams trainer was able to save him. He'll never play basketball again, but at least he's alive.
Posted by
Anonymous |
Fri Mar 10, 01:09:00 PM 2006