The Hawk

Issue date: 2/27/08 Section: Sports

Kimble was one of several Lions with Philadelphia roots.

Most fans might think that coaching a Magic Johnson-led Lakers team to the 1980 NBA title would be the highlight of Paul Westhead's, '61, career. However, his signature moment may have come 10 years later in the collegiate ranks.

Westhead, currently an assistant coach with the Seattle Supersonics, is the only head coach to have won a championship in the NBA and the WNBA following his title with the 2007 Phoenix Mercury. However, he is most known for his 1990 season with Loyola Marymount. Westhead, whose NCAA coaching career started with a nine year stint at La Salle, led the Loyola Marymount Lions to a record of 105-48 and three NCAA tournament appearances over five seasons. His stay in California culminated in one of the most unforgettable seasons in college basketball history; one that featured a record-setting offense and a tragic twist before ending with an Elite 8 appearance.

Loyola Marymount's offense in the 1989-90 season was the most high-octane, explosive, run-and-gun offense the game had ever seen. The team averaged 122.4 points per game, scoring less than triple digits only four times in their 32 game season. Westhead's offensive philosophy was to shoot the ball as early in the shot clock as possible. Coupled with an intense full-court press, the Lions' games were essentially track meets with a basketball. Their style of play would force even the 2008 Memphis Tigers to stop and catch their breath.

The team was led by seniors and Philadelphia-born best friends Bo Kimble and Hank Gathers, who had each transferred to Loyola Marymount following their freshman seasons at the University of Southern California. The pair scored at an alarming rate. Kimble averaged 35.3 points per game, notching a season-high of 54 points against St. Joe's. Gathers averaged 29 points per game, scoring his season-high of 48 points against LSU.

Westhead, Kimble, Gathers, and the rest of the Lions cruised through regular season, dispatching 22 of 27 opponents by running them into submission. The season even included a homecoming for Westhead, who played for the Hawks from 1958-61. The Feb. 4 game on Hawk Hill came down to a dramatic finish. St. Joe's, who had played some of the best defense the Lions had seen that season, lost 99-96 on a last second, 35-foot shot by Kimble.

Hank Gathers was the one player considered to have the most NBA potential. As a junior, he became only the second player ever to lead the country in both scoring and rebounding. His senior season started out the same way until a Dec. 9 game against UC Santa Barbara. Early in the second half, Gathers was fouled on his way to the basket. After missing his first free throw, he collapsed to the floor. Despite getting back to his feet almost immediately, the school medical team later found that he had an irregular heartbeat.

Continued...

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