COLLEGES / ALAN DROOZ : Westhead Expresses Hurt, Anger Over Gathers Case

For perhaps the first time since the flurry of lawsuits arose from the death of Loyola Marymount basketball player Hank Gathers more than a year ago, Paul Westhead has spoken publicly to being singled out by the Gathers family as one of those contributing to the player’s death.

Westhead, the former Loyola coach who has generally kept his feelings to himself since Gathers’ collapse and death during a basketball game March 4, 1990, filed suit against Gathers family attorney Bruce Fagel after Fagel said during a press conference last winter, “If not for Paul Westhead, Hank Gathers would be alive today.”

Fagel later clarified his statement but Westhead’s suit remains as part of the continuing legal tangles.

In an interview with Roy Firestone for ESPN’s “Up Close” earlier this week, Westhead said he was “literally speechless, (with) a sense of hurt and anger all at the same time” in reaction to Fagel’s statement.

“I had never heard anything like that about me expressed by anyone,” Westhead said. “Anyone close to Hank Gathers suffered immensely from his death. Myself and the team suffered immense grief. Then to be held personally responsible . . .”

Westhead, who coached the team for five seasons before moving on to his current position as coach of the NBA’s Denver Nuggets in September, is one of several Loyola officials named as defendants in a wrongful death suit filed by the Gathers family. Gathers, an All-American forward, collapsed in a game at Gersten Pavilion and was pronounced dead shortly after. Gathers started taking medication after being diagnosed as having an irregular heartbeat in December 1989. The condition was diagnosed after Gathers fainted during a Dec. 10, 1989 game against UC Santa Barbara at Loyola.

Although everyone who knew Gathers is saddened by the on-going legal battles, Westhead said that may be the only way for the story to unfold. The Gathers family suit against Loyola and the doctors who treated Gathers is scheduled to start in September in Superior Court in Torrance.

At this point, Westhead said, “The only way (the memory of Gathers) can be left alone is that it does become a court case and the facts and the truth and the right decisions are made.”

Westhead said the saddest irony is “probably everyone involved in this court case saw and delighted in the beauty of (Gathers).”

Westhead’s successor at Loyola Marymount, Jay Hillock, has done something Westhead never managed to do in his first recruiting season--make serious inroads in the South Bay.

Hillock signed three high school recruits, two of them local standouts--6-foot-7 forward Wyking Jones from St. Bernard and 6-6 forward Robin Kirksey from Gardena. The other player is point guard Cobi McElroy from Western High in Las Vegas.

“All three players are capable of making important contributions to our program right away,” Hillock said.

Although St. Bernard is only a mile from Loyola’s Westchester campus, Jones is the first player from the school to sign with the Lions. Jones, who averaged 23 points and eight rebounds as a senior, was a Loyola ball boy in 1986 and ’87.

Kirksey was one of the state’s scoring leaders, averaging 29.7 points and 13.5 rebounds. He may fit the role of rebounder Hillock is looking to fill. Kirksey’s season highs included a 51-point game against Crenshaw and a 47-point game against Dorsey.

The 6-1 McElroy, considered Nevada’s premier point guard, led Western High to consecutive state titles the past two years. As a senior he averaged 17 points and 5.1 assists while leading Western to a 31-3 record.

McElroy, prized for his speed and quickness, is also a good outside shooter. He made 68 three-point baskets this season.

The three players will join a team that returns 12 lettermen and four starters, including All-America guard candidate Terrell Lowery and All-West Coast Conference center Richard Petruska.

Pitcher Perfect--The perfect game pitched by Cal State Dominguez Hills left-hander Vince Aguilar Saturday was the South Bay’s first no-hitter on the collegiate level in 11 years and the first at Dominguez Hills in 17.

Aguilar needed only 80 pitches to retire 27 Chapman College batters in a tidy 1 hour 47 minutes.

The only other Toro to pitch a no-hitter was Bill Crissman, who tossed a seven-inning no-hitter against UC San Diego on March 30, 1974.

The only no-hitter in recent Loyola Marymount history was thrown by Bob Seus on March 14, 1980, against Cal State Long Beach.

Aguilar’s gem gave notice to California Collegiate Athletic Assn. opponents that they have more to worry about than Toro ace Mark Tranberg (9-1).

“Perhaps the best thing about the perfect game is that it will take some pressure off Tranberg,” Toro Coach George Wing said.

“Because of his record everybody has come at him with both barrels, but now they know they have two people to deal with. And our No. 3 man (Armando Plasencia) would be the No. 1 guy on a lot of staffs.”

With Tranberg’s 1.75 earned-run average, Plasencia’s 2.65 and Aguilar’s 3.64, the Toros have lowered their staff ERA to 3.04. With Jay Chadwick and Will Navarette combining on a 2-0 victory over UC San Diego Tuesday, the Toros have produced a no-hitter, a two-hitter and two three-hitters in their past four games.

Loyola-USC Update--Trojan baseball Coach Mike Gillespie has denied that Bobby Hughes, a former player at Loyola Marymount, gave USC signs used by Loyola before a recent game. It was reported in this column that Loyola Marymount baseball Coach Chris Smith suspected Hughes of giving signs to USC.

“We did not have any contact with Bobby, and we did not get any information from him,” Gillespie said.

Although sign-stealing is a time-honored tradition in baseball, the report upset the Hughes family, which also says the assertion was untrue.

The Trojans won that game, 16-9. The teams play a rematch Tuesday night at USC.

The Loyola Marymount baseball doubleheader Saturday provided a brief flashback to the 1970s when a male streaker ran through the outfield before disappearing over the left-field fence. At least one enterprising spectator filming the game from the stands offered to sell videos.

Notes

The Loyola Marymount volleyball team can clinch its first Western Intercollegiate Volleyball Assn. playoff spot when the Lions finish the regular season at Cal State Northridge. The Lions, UC Santa Barbara and Stanford are fighting for two wild card playoff spots. . . . Loyola’s Joe Ciccarella was named West Coast Conference baseball player of the week after going nine for 15 with two home runs, two doubles and seven runs scored in a three-game sweep of USF. It’s the second time this season that Ciccarella has earned the honor. . . . Pepperdine ace Patrick Ahearne goes into this weekend’s action leading the NCAA with nine victories. Loyola reliever Joe Caruso is fourth nationally in saves with nine. . . . Dominguez Hills first baseman Darrell Conner had his school-record batting streak stopped at 20 games Tuesday when he went zero for three against UC San Diego. Conner’s latest streak broke his own school record of 19. During the streak Conner went 30 for 73 (.411). Conner is batting .421 for the season. The Toros play a three-game series with Cal Poly Pomona this weekend, with a 3 p.m. game today in Carson and a noon doubleheader Saturday in Pomona.

The Dominguez Hills softball team lost three of four conference games on the road last week, falling to fourth place in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. at 4-6 despite its 28-12-1 overall record and No. 12 rating. The lone victory was Anne Ibarra’s eighth shutout of the season in a 2-0 victory against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The Lady Toros will try to stay in the race when they play host to UC Riverside in a noon doubleheader Saturday. . . . In a nonconference game Tuesday, Ibarra no-hit UC San Diego, 2-0. It was the Lady Toros’ first no-hitter since 1985. . . . Kim Holder, a former Miraleste High volleyball standout who earned All-America honors at UC Riverside, was named women’s volleyball coach at Cal State San Bernardino, which begins competing in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. this fall.