Pictured from left to right Loyola's Bo Kimble, Hank Gaithers and Jeff Fryer - (Loyola Marymount University photo)

Loyola's Hank Gathers was expected to be selected high in the NBA draft but then… fate stepped in - (Loyola Marymount University photo)

A pensive looking Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd listens while the smiling Mavs GM Nico Harrison explains to the media why he traded Luka Doncic to the LA Lakers without consulting Kidd - (Screen shot photo) DONCIC TRADED… WHY? NO SENSE = NONSENSE

Dallas Mavericks owner Israeli Zionist Miriam Adelson, with her since deceased wealthy husband Sheldon, recruiting Jewish youths at a Birthright Israel gathering, to move to Israel. Basically she is recruiting troops to murder Arab Sand Niggers WHO IS MIRIAM ADELSON?

Bill Walton played through pain and injuries. He was rewarded late in his career being a member of the 1986 NBA championship Boston Celtics team. It was his second NBA title - (Steve Lipofsky photo) BILL WALTON REMEMBERED

NBA ALL-STAR Jayson Tatum = at # 3 overall = the right choice - (Erik Drost photo) CELTICS have the Right Stuff?

For those in the know the former LA/Minneapolis Lakers great Elgin Baylor is the best pound for pound NBA player ever. Better Than Jordan? ELGIN BAYLOR!!!

SPORTS NOTES - 1990 LOYOLA MARYMOUNT - ANGELS ON THEIR SHOULDERS

James Loving/National Radio Text Service

LMU led the nation in scoring for the third consecutive year and established an NCAA record of 122.4 points per game. Bo Kimble won the NCAA individual scoring title by averaging 35.3 points per game. They would become the first WCC team to reach the Elite Eight in 33 years - THIS DAY IN THE NBA - NBA's ALL TIME BEST PLAYERS 1st and 2nd TEAMS

Thursday March 20, 2025

IT'S NCAA TOURNAMENT TIME

Once again at this time of the year the NCAA TOURNAMENT occurs. Having field produced two NCAA features for the tournaments half time show on radio it brings back certain memories. For me it is John Wooden's incredible success. WOODEN coached UCLA to 10 NCAA titles including seven in a row (1964-65, 67 to 73 & 1975). UCLA lost only ten games during those ten championship seasons.

To me Wooden was like a god. The feeling I got from interviewing some of his former players, he was a strict, discipline coach. In reality he was simply a school teacher.

Our story on Wooden is one of our top three most viewed stories. We met in March 1990. The story aired during the NCAA Tournament's half time show on radio.

We also placed it with Bob Costas, Sports Page USA, Sheridan Broadcast Network and other feature radio broadcasts. It was published in the French language for the French publication Maxi Basket. Our story was later written in English for the Internet distribution in 2002. Other than our nationalradi.com site it was also placed on sportsnetwork.com.

The second most memorable for us is the incredible run that Loyola Marymount University made in the NCAA tournament. It was a run and gun team that was led by Hank Gathers who passed away during a game on the court, prior to the tournament. The team unified and picked up the slack when Bo Kimble, Jeff Fryer and Terrell Lowery.

The team's Per Stumer was my first international player interview that I did for the NCAA radio show College Sports USA. Stumer, Kimble and Gathers all were features we field produced for that NCAA show.

Ironically following the airing of Stumer and Kimble, Gather's show was scheduled to air the weekend that he passed away. On March 4, 1990, Gathers collapsed and died during a WCC Tournament Semifinal matchup against Portland University.

LMU went on to lead the nation in scoring for the third consecutive year and established an NCAA record of 122.4 points per game. Kimble won the NCAA individual scoring title by averaging 35.3 points per game. They would become the first WCC team to reach the Elite Eight in 33 years.

Kimble was the only player drafted to the NBA when the LA Clippers selected him # 8 in the 1st round. He played a couple of seasons there before being traded to the NY Knicks.

Fryer was a Three-Point Machine. He averaged 22.7 points per game in 1990 and finished his career averaging 17.2 points, while hitting 363 three-pointers in his career. A Two-Time All-WCC Selection, scoring 1,922 points in his career, which ranks sixth All-Time in LMU History, 1,089 of them were scored from the Three-Point Line.

Fryer holds seven of the nine Three-Point records in LMU History, including 11 three pointers he hit in the NCAA tournament second round win over Michigan in 1990 who were the tournaments defending champion.

They followed that with an impressive win over Alabama 62-60 before falling 131-101 to UNLV, the eventual National Champion. Wooden was most impressed with the team that brought him his and the school's first tournament title. He said no player was over 6'5". Loyola had a similar team with no player over 6'7'' in their eight-man rotation.

In a strange way I covered Loyola almost as much as my assigned UCLA team. That season it was Loyola that had an angel on its shoulder as they almost reached the pinnacle of success. It is a story worthy of a film.

TRIVIA QUESTION:

What current NBA head coach was playing in the game when Hank Gathers died?

Loyola's NCAA Tournament Achievements

Most points in an NCAA Tournament game - 149 vs. Michigan (March 18, 1990)

Most combined points in an NCAA Tournament game - 264 vs. Michigan (March 18, 1990)

Most 3-point field goals in an NCAA Tournament game - 21 vs. Michigan (March 18, 1990)

Points Per Game - 105.8 (423 points in 4 games) Individual

Most 3-point field goals made (single game) - 11 by Jeff Fryer vs. Michigan (March 18, 1990)

Most 3-point field goals attempted (single game) - 22 by Jeff Fryer vs. Michigan (March 18, 1990)

TRIVIA ANSWER:

The Miami Heat's Erik Spoelstra.

NBA GAME CHANGE SUGGESTIONS:

Make a rule where a team can only take 30 three-point shots a game. This will create more strategy. A shot clock can be doubled in two sections where one side is about 3-point shots taken and the other being the 24 second clock.

COMING: THE NBA ALL STAR GAME ABORTION

THIS DAY IN THE NBA

March 20, 1968 Dave Bing of the Detroit Pistons finished the season with a league leading 27.1 ppg average, becoming the first guard in 20 years to lead the NBA in scoring.

March 20, 1968 Wilt Chamberlain of Philadelphia became the first center in NBA history to lead the league in assists with a total of 702 for an average of 8.6 apg. Chamberlain called leading the league in assists one of the top achievements of his career.

March 20, 1976 John Havlicek of the Boston Celtics became the first NBA player to score more than 1,000 points per season for 14 consecutive years.

March 20, 1984 Indiana’s Butch Carter set an NBA record by scoring 14 points in an overtime period as the Pacers beat Boston 123-121.

March 20, 1990 The Los Angeles Lakers retired Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s jersey #33 in honor of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.

March 20, 1997 The Denver Nuggets (16) and Seattle SuperSonics (13) combine to make 29 three-point field goals, a record for two teams in one game. Seattle posted a 123-97 victory.

March 20, 1998 Karl Malone moved past Elvin Hayes (27,313) for fifth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list.