USC’s Bo Kimble, Hank Gathers Are Given Releases

Bo Kimble and Hank Gathers, USC freshmen whose basketball scholarships will not be renewed for the 1986-87 academic year, received releases to transfer Thursday from Athletic Director Mike McGee.

McGee said he granted the releases after receiving requests to transfer to unspecified schools in a note Thursday morning from the players.

Gathers released a statement that said, in part: “I have chosen not to appeal the revoking of my scholarship although I feel very strongly that I would win the appeal. . . . The deadline set by Coach (George) Raveling was just prior to the start of my final exams. . . . I wanted to wait until after the finals to request my release, but the confusion and attention brought by Coach Raveling’s decision has interfered with my ability to concentrate on my finals. I truly have a love affair with USC, Coach Stan Morrison and his staff, and I think possibly, given the time, would have develooped a closesness with Coach Raveling and his staff. I guess I will never know.”

Kimble also released a statement that said, in part: “When I entered USC last fall, I felt a great amount of love and concern for my welfare from Coach Stan Morrison, his coaching staff, the fans, the alumni and the teachers. . . . We all had a dream about how bright the future would be, but that dream was shattered. I believe that the fans and the alumni got caught up in the dream and I believe that they understand what I mean. . . . I accepted the change in coaches and truly believed that, given the time to knowCoach Raveling, I would still be a member of the Trojan family.”

McGee said he has not received word from Tom Lewis, another freshman whose scholarship will not be renewed, about his plans. Lewis has said he will announce next Wednesday whether he intends to ask for his release or appeal the loss of his scholarship.

The three players were informed Monday in letters from Raveling that they would not be on scholarship at the university next season because of their failure to tell him whether they wanted to return. He had given them until last Friday to make their decisions.