Upcoming Hank Gathers/LMU Documentary

“I have a heart the size of a lion.”
- Hank Gathers, The Today Show

Hank Gathers was the heart of the Lions until his own heart failed him. Then the rest of the Lions, led by Hank’s homey Bo Kimble, picked up the slack and against all odds came a whisker away from taking the NCAA title, beating powerhouse Michigan in a classic game. Bo’s on court tributes to his fallen friend- the lefty fouls, the closed eyes- are the stuff of basketball legend. A ton of heart.

But there is another heart to this lion: the “System” that provided method to the seeming madness of “Paul Ball” – named after the guru of go himself, Paul Westhead. Paul’s system was magic (and big fun to watch) – IF you had the right players. Without them, the system looked like crap. Just ask the Enver (where’s the “D”?) Nuggets.

But at Loyola, a small LA college completely off the radar for college ball, a non-entity in the NCAA, Westhead got the players he needed. Two freshmen from Philly, via USC. Paul caught a little luck in that he was from Philly, too. A preacher from back home told the boys to go with Paul. They did. The rest is pure basketball history.

You can’t make this stuff up. In fact, that’s the yardstick I use to measure great doc material – is it too amazing to be fiction? The story of Gathers, Westhead and Kimble, set against the Loyola years and the run at a national title, is too dramatic to NOT be real. As a fictional film, it is over-the-top. But as a doc, it’s pure gold.

Geezaldinho wrote:Paul Westhead is now the coach of the Ducks women's team. He has said that Paul ball lives.

This year will be interesting.


The show should be fun.