Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 8, 1990 TAG: 9003081532
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES LENGTH: Long
The Loyola Marymount star also did not appear for his weekly treadmill test in the days before he died, the Times said, quoting a cardiologist who asked not to be identified.
A statement released by two doctors who examined Gathers, 23, after he fainted during a Dec. 9 game against Cal-Santa Barbara said his treatment was "closely monitored on a regular basis and we were in communication with Hank, his trainer and his coach at all times."
Bo Kimble, one of Gathers' best friends, insisted again that his teammate was taking his medication and "would have done whatever he was told to do" to ensure his health.
"I know he was cleared to play," Kimble said.
However, he added, "If you told me that every time I stepped on the court I had a 50-50 chance to survive, I wouldn't play. Hank would."
The Times quoted the heart specialist as saying Gathers should not have been playing.
"He was told not to play; you're through as an athlete," the specialist said.
"We told Hank that if he wanted to live the best, he shouldn't exercise. Hank Gathers was going to play basketball. It didn't matter what some doctor told him.
"He was known to have cardiac arrhythmia, no question about it. But it was well-treated and well-controlled, and it had been well-tested every time. We don't know if Hank took his medicine the last week; in fact, we're pretty sure that he didn't.
"And we know that he didn't show up for his testing, which is supposed to be done on a weekly basis. And we know this was the week he was out to show the NBA scouts that he was big stuff."
Gathers, a senior center from Philadelphia, died Sunday after collapsing near midcourt in a West Coast Conference Tournament game against Portland. He was pronounced dead about 90 minutes later.
Arrhythmia is a condition where the heartbeat is irregular and often is a symptom resulting from cardiomyopathy, a typically chronic disorder of heart muscle that may involve obstructive damage to the heart.
Brian Quinn, Loyola Marymount's athletic director, said Gathers was cleared to play by Dr. Michael Mellman, an internist at Centinela Hospital in Inglewood.
Mellman and Dr. Vernon Hattori, a cardiologist, released the following statement through Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital, also in Inglewood:
"The rumors and speculations surrounding Hank Gathers' death are as disturbing to us as they must be to his family, his friends and the general public. Although full disclosure of the details surrounding his medical evaluation and therapy would serve to end this ongoing speculation, we are inescapably bound by the strict confidentiality of his medical records. His family has not given us permission to release any information, and until such permission is provided, further details cannot be released."
The doctors noted that Gathers was tested extensively after he fainted at the Cal-Santa Barbara game.
"Such testing . . . revealed a cardiac arrhythmia which was controlled by a cardiac medication. Efficacy of treatment was closely monitored on a regular basis, and we were in communication with Hank, his trainer and his coach at all times. Neither the ultimate circumstances surrounding his unfortunate death nor the causes thereof have been defined at this time. We are hopeful the autopsy results will serve to shed some light in that regard."
Kimble was interviewed on campus, where he and other teammates had voted unanimously Wednesday to accept a bid to the NCAA Tournament. At first, the team wasn't sure it wanted to continue playing after Gathers died, but it decided to go ahead because "Hank would want us to play."
When he spoke of Gathers, Kimble was adamant that his best friend followed doctors' orders.
"I know he didn't know he was jeopardizing his life," said Kimble, who played high school ball with Gathers in Philadelphia.
The school's head trainer, Chip Schaefer, said: "I had no knowledge of any cardiologist telling him not to play."
Coach Paul Westhead, walking hurriedly walking toward his office Wednesday morning, said: "I don't know anything. I don't know anything."
Gathers had a pulse immediately after collapsing, Dr. Benjamin Schaefer told the Los Angeles Times. His heart stopped beating after he was put on a stretcher and carried off the court.
"At first after his collapse, he felt responsive, and you don't perform CPR on a person who has a pulse," Schaefer said.
He quoted Schaeffer, the team physician, as saying, "Let's move him somewhere where we can monitor and treat him."'
The team doctor connected Gathers to a defibrillator, a machine used to shock a failing heart into a normal rhythm.
The machine had been purchased after Gathers fainted the first time. Schaefer kept it courtside and carried it with him on all road games, the Times said.
"The first time that we hooked him up on the defibrillator, he didn't have one [a pulse]," Schaefer said. "The machine then told us to shock, and we did. We shocked three times, but he never regained his pulse."
Some team members plan to fly to Philadelphia sometime this weekend for Gathers' funeral on Monday. The player's family is scheduled to return home today.
by CNB