Basketball star's terrifying collapse and death mid-game - the silence was deafening

A basketball player destined for greatness at the height of his college career was struck down by a devastating medical condition, collapsing in front of thousands of stunned spectators.

Eric Wilson 'Hank' Gathers was just 23 when his flourishing career as an American college basketball player was tragically cut short in a moment that nobody could have foreseen.

Playing for the Loyola Marymount Lions, Gathers was a highly regarded athlete who, in 1989, became only the second player in NCAA Division I history to top the nation in both scoring and rebounding in the same season. It is fair to say the six-foot-seven sportsman had an extraordinary future ahead of him.

Going into the semi-finals of the 1990 WCC tournament, which would prove to be his final ever match, Gathers had contributed 28 of his team's 121 points and was riding high, eager to face the opposition.

Before the game, he told a reporter for Channel 2 in Los Angeles: "I feel great. I'm in the best shape of my life. My mom's out here, and I'm looking forward to some good home cooking."

However, as he jogged back to his position and turned to face Portland's inbound pass, he took two steps to the right before collapsing. He had no opportunity to brace himself, and the sheer force of a man of his stature, weighing 220 pounds, hitting the floor reverberated loudly around the arena.

The player struggled to regain his footing, remaining on his hands and knees before medical staff rushed to surround him. Shortly afterwards, he collapsed back to the floor and lost consciousness, before being carried out of the gymnasium on a stretcher.

The game clock was halted, with over 13 minutes of the first half still remaining, as the team's physician began cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Decades on from the incident, NBA coach Erik Spoelstra remains visibly shaken, recalling the moment he witnessed Gathers fall. Spoelstra shared: "The absolute silence in the gym after he fell, it's something I'll never forget."

Spectators at the high-profile match filed out of the arena one by one, an unsettling hush descending over the venue, and at 6:55pm, Gathers was pronounced dead.

This was not the first time the gifted athlete had collapsed, having been diagnosed during his senior year with an irregular heartbeat following his initial mid-game collapse.

Following what appeared to be a minor setback in his health, he missed two games and was prescribed medication by his doctors. Gathers returned to the sport within a matter of weeks, gradually reducing his dosage until he seemed to have fully recovered.

The collapse that ultimately claimed his life was the second to occur within that very same season — but it was twice too many.

Moments after his fatal collapse, the WCC commissioner suspended the match indefinitely, yet ESPN continued to broadcast the distressing footage of his final moments on the court. Spoelstra, who was a player for the University of Portland at the time, recalled his rival as an "unbelievable physical specimen".

Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, he said: "We were practising in the gym one time before we played LMU, and you could look out one side and see the track. There was Hank, running as hard as he could, wearing a parachute. Talk about intimidating. We were all thinking, 'Boy, we've got to play that guy. '".