American · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA · Born 9 April 1966Bo Kimble led NCAA Division I in scoring at Loyola Marymount and became a national symbol of resilience honoring his late teammate Hank Gathers.
Gregory Kevin 'Bo' Kimble was born on 9 April 1966 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and began his college career at USC alongside childhood friend and high school teammate Hank Gathers before both transferred to Loyola Marymount, sitting out a season under transfer rules. Playing in coach Paul Westhead's frenetic run-and-gun system, Kimble and Gathers formed one of the most explosive scoring duos in college basketball history, with the Lions averaging over 110 points per game across multiple seasons. As a senior in 1989-90, Kimble led the nation in scoring at 35.3 points per game and was named a consensus second-team All-American, while Gathers anchored the frontcourt. On 4 March 1990, during the West Coast Conference tournament semifinal, Gathers collapsed on the court and died shortly after from a heart condition, a tragedy that stunned college basketball. Twelve days later, Loyola Marymount - as a No. 11 seed, playing without Gathers - entered the NCAA Tournament, with Kimble honoring his fallen friend by shooting his first free throw of every remaining game left-handed, in tribute to how Gathers had adjusted his own shooting form after a heart-related diagnosis. The grief-stricken Lions produced one of the most emotional runs in tournament history, defeating New Mexico State, defending champion Michigan (in a stunning 149-115 blowout), and Alabama to reach the Elite Eight, before falling to eventual champion UNLV. Kimble finished his college career having played a central role in several of the highest-scoring games in Division I history, and his No. 30 has been retired by Loyola Marymount, which inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2005. He was selected in the first round of the 1990 NBA draft, and has since become an advocate for cardiac health screening in young athletes in memory of Gathers.
Led nation in scoring (35.3 ppg) at LMU 1990; left-handed free-throw tribute to Hank Gathers
How They Played
Prolific scoring guard thriving in an up-tempo system, known for volume shooting and the ability to fill the basket at an extraordinary rate
Lasting Impact
Remembered as much for his extraordinary tribute to his fallen friend as for his scoring exploits, in one of the most emotionally resonant stories in NCAA Tournament history
Career Honours
- NCAA scoring champion 1990 (35.3 ppg)
- Consensus second-team All-American 1990
- WCC Player of the Year 1990
American Athletes