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Bo Kimble

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Bo Kimble
Personal information
Born(1966-04-09)April 9, 1966(age 58)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High schoolDobbins Technical
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
College
NBA draft1990:1st round, 8th overall pick
Selected by theLos Angeles Clippers
Playing career1990–1998
PositionShooting guard
Number30, 16
Coaching career2022–present
Career history
As player:
1990–1992Los Angeles Clippers
1992–1993New York Knicks
1993–1994CRO Lyon
1994–1995Rapid City Thrillers
1995Hartford Hellcats
1996–1997La Crosse Bobcats
1997LUCKIPar
1997–1998Yakima Sun Kings
As coach:
2022–presentOverbrook HS
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points574 (5.5 ppg)
Rebounds162 (1.5 rpg)
StatsEdit this at Wikidataat NBA.com
StatsEdit this at Wikidataat Basketball-Reference.com

Gregory Kevin"Bo"Kimble(born April 9, 1966) is an Americanbasketballcoach and former professional player. He playedcollege basketballfor theLoyola Marymount Lions.As a senior in the 1989–90 season, Kimble was named a consensus second-teamAll-Americanas well as theconference player of the yearin theWest Coast Conference(WCC). He led the 11th-seededLions to theregional finalsof theNCAA tournamentafter the death of teammateHank Gathers.Kimble was selected by theLos Angeles Clippersin the first round of the1990 NBA draftwith the eighth overall pick. He played three seasons in theNational Basketball Association(NBA) with the Clippers and theNew York Knicks.

High school

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Kimble played prep ball withHank Gathersat Dobbins Technical High School in Philadelphia, with the pair leading the team to the Public League City championship in 1985.

College

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USC

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Both Gathers and Kimble were recruited to theUniversity of Southern Californiaby head coachStan Morrisonand his top assistant, David Spencer. They were joined by high school All-American, Tom Lewis, and Rich Grande as the "Four Freshmen" star recruiting class.[1][2]Following an 11–17 season coaching USC, Morrison and Spencer were fired after the 1985–86 season was over, despite winning the Pac-10 the previous year. It was reported that the players would not remain unless certain conditions were met, including having a say in the next coaching staff.[1]USC hiredGeorge Ravelingas the next head coach of the Trojans.[3]Raveling gave the players a deadline to respond whether they would remain on the team. When they did not respond, he revoked the scholarships of Gathers, Kimble, and Lewis.[4]Raveling's controversial[5]statement was, "You can't let the Indians run the reservation." "You've got to be strong, too. Sometimes you have to tell them that they have to exit," he said.[1]Kimble and Gathers transferred together from USC toLoyola Marymount University(LMU). Lewis transferred to Pepperdine. Grande remained at USC.

Loyola Marymount

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After sitting out the 1986–87 season as required underNCAArules for transfer students, the pair became the centerpiece of arguably the most entertaining college team in history. TheLions' then-coachPaul Westheadinstalled an extraordinarily fast-paced game plan. On offense, LMU typically took shots within 10 seconds of gaining possession, with many of the shots being three-pointers. The Lions' defense was a full-court press designed to force opponents into a frenzied up-and-down game. Kimble led the nation in scoring in 1990 averaging 35.3 points per game, and he was also aconsensus second team All-Americanselection that year.[6][7]Kimble's teams ledDivision Iin scoring in 1988 (110.3 points per game), 1989 (112.5), and 1990 (122.4).[8]LMU's 122.4 point per game in 1990 was still a record as of March 2019.[9]As of October 2010, Loyola Marymount held the five highest combined score games in Division I history. Four of the five occurred during Kimble's career, including a record 331 in the 181–150 win overUnited States International Universityon January 31, 1989.[10]

During the1990 WCC tournament,Gathers collapsed and died of a heart condition in LMU's semifinal againstPortland.As a result of Gathers's death, the tournament was suspended, and Loyola Marymount was given the league's automatic bid tothe NCAA tournament(as a No. 11 seed) due to their regular season championship. During LMU's subsequent run to theElite Eight,Kimble (who was right-handed), Gathers' friend and teammate, shot his firstfree throwof each game left-handed in memory of Gathers (although right-handed, he struggled so much with free throws that he tried shooting them left-handed for a time), making all three attempts (Kimble did not have any free-throw attempts in the Sweet 16 win over Alabama).[11]

Kimble's No. 30 and Gathers's No. 44 wereretired by LMUin a joint ceremony in 2000.[12][13]In 2005, the entire1989–90 teamwas inducted into Loyola Marymount's Hall of Fame.[14]

NBA

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Later that year, Kimble was selected by theLos Angeles Clipperswith the 8th overall pick of the1990 NBA draft.At the time, the Clippers were playing in theLos Angeles Memorial Sports Arena,the same building that Kimble played in with Gathers while they were at USC. As a rookie, he averaged 6.9 points per game and for his career averaged 5.5 points per game while mostly sitting on the end of the bench. Kimble revealed in 2015 that getting very little playing time despite his ability while the Clippers floundered drove him to considersuicideseveral times.[15]HisNBAcareer was plagued by injuries. In the summer of1992,Kimble was traded to theNew York Knicksas part of a three-team, six-player deal that broughtMark Jacksonto the Clippers. Kimble played only nine games for the Knicks, and was released at the end of the season, bringing his brief NBA career to an end.

Kimble played for several years in theContinental Basketball Associationafter his NBA career ended. He played for theRapid City Thrillers,La Crosse Bobcats,Hartford HellcatsandYakima Sun Kings.[16]

Coaching career

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In 2022, Kimble was appointed as head coach of the boys' basketball team atOverbrook High Schoolin Philadelphia.[17]His brother, Jabbar, serves as his assistant coach.[17]

Personal life

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He starred in the 1991 movieHeaven is a Playgroundas fictional high school student Matthew Lockhart. Kimble co-founded and sits on the board of directors of Forty-Four for Life Foundation, a non-profit organization involved in reducing cardiac related fatalities.[18]

Los Angeles Countydeclared July 17, 1990, "Bo Kimble Day" for "not only for his accomplishments on the court, but for providing a positive role model for Los Angeles' youth."[19]

On March 7, 2011, Kimble traveled toHolland, Michigan,to meet withFennville High Schooland Lawrence High School's varsity basketball team. Fennville had just lost their star player, Wes Leonard, after he collapsed and died moments after hitting the winning shot in the team's 57–55 overtime victory overBridgman High Schoolin the last game of the regular season. Leonard's death, caused bycardiac arrestdue to anenlarged heart,occurred one day shy of the 21st anniversary of Hank Gathers' death.[20][21]

Notes

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  1. ^abcHarvey, Randy –Un-Raveling at USC: A Failure to Communicate.Los Angeles Times, May 13, 1986
  2. ^Florence, Mal –Four Freshmen Make Sweet Music in USC Victory.Los Angeles Times, January 18, 1986.The young players—Hank Gathers, Tom Lewis, Bo Kimble and Rich Grande—all contributed Saturday afternoon as USC beat Arizona State, 81–72, at the Sports Arena.
  3. ^Fleischman, Bill –Raveling Leaves Iowa To Take Reins At USC.Philadelphia Daily News, March 28, 1986
  4. ^Florence, MalScholarships Taken From 3 USC Freshmen: Lewis, Gathers and Kimble Receive Word From Raveling.Los Angeles Times, April 15, 1986
  5. ^Sands, Vernon –At Least, If Raveling Gives a Hoot, Then So Does His USC Team.Los Angeles Times, April 5, 1986
  6. ^NCAA 2010, p.23
  7. ^NCAA(October 31, 2008)."NCAA Men's Basketball Records (Award Winners)"(PDF).p. 137. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on July 27, 2011.
  8. ^NCAA 2010, p.39
  9. ^NCAA 2010, p.5
  10. ^NCAA 2010, pp.28–29
  11. ^"Loyola Marymount vs. Alabama Box Score, March 23, 1990".Sports Reference LLC.RetrievedMarch 19,2018.
  12. ^Silary, Ted (March 6, 2000)."Gathers (Continued from Preceding Page)".Philadelphia Daily News.p. 111.RetrievedMarch 4,2020– viaNewspapers.com.
  13. ^Dufrense, Chris (February 20, 2000)."Paying Respects in HANK'S HOUSE".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedMarch 4,2020.
  14. ^Stephens, Eric (January 30, 2005)."Lion Hearts Soar on a Special Night at Loyola".Los Angeles Times.Archived fromthe originalon November 5, 2012.
  15. ^Siegel, Alan (May 6, 2015)."What It Was Like To Play For The '80s Clippers, The Worst Team In Sports".Deadspin.Gawker Media.RetrievedMay 6,2015.
  16. ^1998–99 Official CBA guide and register,page 259
  17. ^abKingcade, Napoleon F. (November 30, 2022)."Former NBA starts first year as Overbrook basketball coach".The Spirit.RetrievedJune 10,2024.
  18. ^Years Later, Bo Kimble Still Honors Hank GathersArchivedApril 25, 2010, at theWayback MachineBy Ronak Patel, The Hoops Report, April 15, 2010
  19. ^Drooz, Alan (July 22, 1990)."A Tough Road Ahead: Lions to Be Tested Early".Los Angeles Times.Archived fromthe originalon June 12, 2022.
  20. ^Seidel, Jeff (March 7, 2011)."Never forget Wes Leonard, ex-teammate of Hank Gathers tells Fennville squad".Detroit Free Press.Archived fromthe originalon October 6, 2012.
  21. ^"Wes Leonard: enlarged heart killed HS athlete".CBSNews.com.March 4, 2011. Archived fromthe originalon March 7, 2011.

References

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