Wild/Wacky Story

Return to TedSilary.com Homepage

  This game occurred in the 1984-85 regular season, when Eric "Hank" Gathers was a senior
at Dobbins. It remains THE most amazing regular season game I have covered. It featured
FOUR guys who went on to the NBA -- Bo Kimble and Doug Overton of Dobbins; Jerome
"Pooh" Richardson and Paul "Snoop" Graham of Franklin. Hank, of course, would have
made five.
  But as you'll see, the Gathers hero this day was NOT Hank . . .
  And below that story is another about the first time Hank and Bo revealed their thoughts
about heading to California for college. They soon would sign with Southern Cal and spend a
year there before transferring to Loyola Marymount and becoming a dynamic one-two punch
that earned national acclaim.

DOBBINS GATHERS IN A BIG VICTORY

Feb 15, 1985

By TED SILARY, Daily News Sports Writer

 Often, the way it is with brothers is that if one doesn't get you, the other certainly will.

 Yesterday, the way it was with Eric and Derrick Gathers of Murrell Dobbins Tech was that both got Benjamin Franklin.

 Eric, stationed on the right side, converted a follow with a fraction of a second remaining - at the very best - in regulation to force a 61-61 tie. Then, Derrick, showing a preference for the left side, converted a follow with two seconds remaining in overtime to give Dobbins a 69-68 victory.

 The occasion, of course, was the most ballyhooed Public League regular season game of this decade at least, matching powerhouses ranked among the top 15 teams in the country - Franklin 11, Dobbins 13 - by USA Today and featuring a minimum of five Division I-caliber players.

 Needless to say, a rollicking good time was had by all at Franklin. By all, we're referring to roughly 1,300 spectators, including 30-plus college coaches, and basically well-behaved fans from both schools - what's an occasional chant of "bull-bleep . . . bull-bleep" among friends?

 "The TV cameras, the newspapers, the fans. I hope everybody had fun today," said Franklin coach Ken Hamilton. "All this was nice, but it didn't change anything we did. We played hard. Our shots didn't fall. The ball didn't bounce into our hands at the end. We lost. Great game.

 "I couldn't possibly stand here and say something like, 'We lost because we played bad. ' That would be nonsense. "

 If Dobbins was going to win, it was only fitting that the Brothers Gathers would play the vital roles with time running out in regulation and OT.

 What they accomplished under the ultimate in pressure was a microcosm of the game itself, in which stars and bit players alike took turns gettin' down, or gettin' off, or whatever it is they say these days on the playgrounds.

 The 6-6 Eric, better known as " Hank " and blessed with a blacksmith's strength despite what some folks would label a thin upper torso, is a lock for first team All-City. All the fans know him and all his opponents respect him. Perhaps, there's even a hint of fear mixed in there somewhere.

 The 6-2 Derrick, meanwhile, is so unsung, he doesn't even have a nickname. All he is, is first-team All- Dobbins . Thankfully, for him that's enough.

 "My brother's a great player," Derrick said. "He has always told me he wants to do great in basketball, to take things all the way (to the pros) if he can. I like the sport and everything, but I know the situation. I'm into this more to get to college and to get an education.

 "My job on this team is to help if I can on offense; but, really, it's to play defense. The way I see it - if you ain't got no defense, you ain't got no team. "

 Shortly after sophomore forward Bryant Watson missed a one-and-one with 0:26 left in overtime, thus failing to pad Franklin's 68-67 lead, Eric Gathers flashed back to a game played last year in the same gym, when a last-second shot by Darryl Dirickson gave Dobbins a Franklin Tournament win over Engineering and Science.

 "The crowd was real loud when we were working the ball around, but I was trying to tell (sophomore guard) Doug Overton, 'Shoot the ball. Shoot the ball,' " Eric said. "Darryl Dirickson wasn't that great of a shooter, but I figured if he could do what he did, Doug could, too. Heck, they were leaving him wide open. "

 Overton wound up taking a leaning 12-footer in the lane. The ball kicked off the rim to the left side and all Derrick had to do was put it back in.

 Sure, that was all. With all those people watching and screaming. With so much, ostensibly, riding on the result.

 "When I saw the ball might be coming my way," Derrick told questioner after questioner, "I immediately went down low. I saw the ball and said, 'Get the rebound and go straight back up with it. ' That's what I did. "

 "My brother has a tendency to be in the right place at the right time," Eric said. "He's always been like that, even back in grade school (at St. Elizabeth's). You know, I don't want to be greedy, but I think he was fouled, too.

 "I'd like to see my brother get just as much publicity as me. He deserves it. When we play one-on-one, sometimes he gets me frustrated. He knows what to do to take me out of my game. "

 Sorry, says Eric, but exactly what that is is not for public consumption, in general, and not for consumption by Franklin's players, specifically.

 (It is widely assumed by most - also undoubtedly desired by many - that the teams will meet again in the championship game, but Franklin will be forced to visit troublesome Southern in a quarterfinal if, as expected, it finishes second in Division C, Southern finishes first in Division D and both teams win their first-round playoffs. )

 Yesterday, it appeared nothing short of shackles would have held down E. Gathers , who shot 12-for-20 for 26 points (eight more than 6-4 teammate Greg ''Bo" Kimble) and grabbed 17 rebounds (one less).

 Last year, as you may remember, Eric shot only 1-for-6 from the field en route to seven points as the Mustangs lost the championship to Franklin, 53-49.

 "Coming out, I knew Franklin was going to play me real tight," he said. ''I also knew that wasn't going to stop me any. I told myself if I got the ball in the paint, where I can usually make 85 percent of my shots, I was going to put it up there regardless of how many people were around me. "

 As for the late-in-regulation details, Franklin was sitting pretty when 6-5 forward Paul "Snoop" Graham (9-for-12, 18 points) scored with 1:10 left to provide a 61-56 lead.

 "Believe me, I was running low right then," said Dobbins coach Rich Yankowitz.

 However, E. Gathers followed a miss by Derrick for a three-point play at 0:49 and the best part from the Mustangs' viewpoint was, Franklin superguard Jerome "Pooh" Richardson fouled out.

 After a turnover, Dobbins held until 0:06, when lead guard Darrell "Heat" Gates missed a left-wing jumper. Kimble scrapped for two follows and was fouled attempting a third at 0:03. Unexpected Bonus No. 2 was that Graham fouled out on the play.

 Kimble missed the first free throw, missed the second on purpose and grabbed the rebound to the left of the lane about 10 feet from the basket. His follow was long, but E. Gathers rebounded on the right side of the basket and kissed the ball off the glass, all in one jump-and-shoot motion.

 As the ball passed through the net, and referee Tom DeFelice gave an emphatic count-it! sign, the clock read 19:59. Huh?

 The only possible explanation, since the clock slipped from 0:02 to 0:01 to 0:00 to 19:59, was that the timer, a Franklin student, forgot to set the automatic horn.

 There was such a roar in the gym, it would have been hard to hear it anyway.

 "The referee called it good. That's his job," Hamilton said. "If he feels as though it's good, it's good. "

 Meanwhile, when the game, for the most part a great one, ended, everyone had a tough time - in honor of Eric and Derrick, we'll say . . . - gathering his or her wits.

 No one could have asked for anything more.

 NOTES: Dobbins used just one sub, sophomore Randy Slade . . . Franklin's 6-7 Will Bolds had 14 points, 10 rebounds . . . Rich Yankowitz, usually a bundle of nerves during a game: "That was fun. I was looser than I thought I'd be." . . . Pooh Richardson scored 17 points, but shot 8-for-19. Doug Overton has to be credited with an outstanding defensive job . . . Ken Hamilton, on the turning point: "The last couple seconds, when the ball was bouncing around on the rim and everyone was waiting to see who'd win."

---

TROJAN HORSES?
 SOUTHERN CAL MIGHT LURE GATHERS, KIMBLE

Apr 17, 1985

By TED SILARY, Daily News Sports Writer

 It never rains in Southern California, they say. Oh, yeah? Perhaps not throughout the region, but there are strong indications that Southern California, the university, soon will be pelted with a downpour of basketball talent.

 Last month, Eric "Hank" Gathers indicated he was considering taking himself and Murrell Dobbins Tech teammate Greg "Bo" Kimble to La Salle.

 Last night, independently, two of the East Coast's more impressive horses dropped heavy hints they can see themselves as Trojans.

 Their statements were made in Conshohocken after the championship game of the 25th annual Albert C. Donofrio Classic, won by the Sonny Hill Seniors - featuring Daily News All-Scholastic first-teamers Kimble and Gathers , among others - over the Hunter Basketball Association (HBA) Crusaders, 120-103.

 The 6-4 Kimble collected 29 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists en route to earning co-MVP honors with the Crusaders' 6-5 Paul "Snoop" Graham (30 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists). Gathers had 24 points and seven rebounds.

 Now, for the latest news on the flesh-peddling front . . .

 Kimble returned Monday night from his visit to Southern Cal. He'll also make treks to Virginia Commonwealth, Connecticut and Temple. Gathers made Massachusetts his second pit stop last weekend. Southern Cal came earlier, and Providence and Virginia Commonwealth will follow.

 Both have sufficiently raised their marks enough that they now boast 2.0 grade-point averages. All they have to do is maintain that level the rest of the year and it's no redshirting, no junior colleges, no heartache.

 "I feel sorry for the schools that pulled out of the picture," Gathers said. "Really, I can see why in one way, because we were on the border line. I'm just glad the other schools had confidence in us. I'm very appreciative. "

 "All along, it seemed like everybody was saying I wouldn't get that 2.0," Kimble said. "It was frustrating. I knew in my own mind what I could and couldn't do. 'Yank' (Dobbins coach Rich Yankowitz) had a little faith in me, but there was even a lot I had to prove to him. "

 For most of the past few weeks, the strongest rumor concerning Kimble was that a pen was in his right hand and affixing his John Hancock to a scholarship agreement from Temple was uppermost in his mind.

 Temple coach John Chaney, and even Bill Cosby, won't want to hear this, but Kimble admits he's wavering.

 "Now that I've visited Southern Cal, it's pretty much a standoff," Kimble said. "It's very impressive. I found out that many of the things Temple has, USC has them, too. It's going to make my choice that much harder.

 "I spent a lot of time with the players. They were sociable, to my liking. I also spent time with non-basketball people, asking them questions about the school and the program. I liked the answers I heard because, let's face it, if you deal just with the basketball people, they're not going to tell you too many things you wouldn't be impressed with. "

 Kimble was scheduled to leave last Friday for the land of sunshine and fast cars, but he instead chose to play for the Hill Seniors, out of loyalty, in the quarterfinals. He also had hoped to play in Monday night's semis upon his return; in fact, he had arranged to be picked up at the airport, then whisked to Conshy.

 However, a delay got in the way, and Kimble didn't deplane until 11.

 The way they talked, it would appear Kimble got the abridged version of what a trip to the West Coast should include. As for Gathers , well, he got the full treatment.

 "They showed me Hollywood and Beverly Hills, even took me down to see San Diego," Hank said. "We went to the beach, too. All I did was walk on it. Because of the saltwater, I'm not too fond of the ocean.

 "I also went around to meet the various academic counselors and tutors. I got to meet the president of the university, too. When they're thinking of bringing in someone in my academic situation, he likes to meet the person, so he can be comfortable that he's not bringing just anybody into his school.

 "Oh, and there's one other thing. I did a lot of eating out there, I'll tell you that. "

 Although the Hill studs didn't quite dine on the Crusaders, they did win going away. Ben Franklin super-guard Jerome "Pooh" Richardson, who's bound for UCLA, generated 22 points, 9 assists and 4 steals and Germantown Academy's Otis Ellis shot 7-for-9 for 16 points.

 The 6-4 Ellis's stock soared dramatically in the tournament, as he sniped 46-for-73 and, more importantly, took many of the shots from spots on the floor at which he rarely found himself during his Patriot career.

 Graham (Franklin, Ohio University) was unconscious in the first half, scoring 18 points, but he was able to contribute only two free throws through the first 10 minutes of the second. Walt Dozier (Gratz, Florida Institute of Technology) and Rodney Shorter (Gratz, undecided) were next in the point line with 18 and 16, respectively.

 Meanwhile, someone wanted to know of Gathers , what's the point of going away?

 "It's a chance to change your life a little - meet new people, do new things," he said. "Sure, it has its disadvantages. One is not being able to get home as frequently as you'd like. I guess there are a few more, but I can't think of them right now. "

 The way it sounds, Eric Gathers and Greg Kimble might be doing more than dreamin' about California. They might be planning on it.