FENNVILLE — Wes Leonard hit the game-winning layup to cap Fennville’s perfect regular season and Hank Gathers slammed home an alley-oop dunk to extend Loyola Marymount University’s lead in a conference tournament game.
And on Friday, the 21st anniversary of Gathers’ death, Bo Kimble mourned each the loss of Gathers, his lifelong friend and college teammate, and Leonard, a 16-year-old he had never met from a tiny West Michigan high school.
“It hit me and my heart just sunk, because it’s a tragedy all over again,” Kimble said Friday while talking about Leonard’s death from a heart attack. “To hit that shot to win a game, and then a moment later another young man in the prime of his life is struck down, it’s very eerie but it’s a fresh reminder of how this can affect us all.”
Related content
Full coverage the loss of Wes Leonard
Kimble watched as Gathers, 23, crumpled to the court and died in 1990 of cardiac arrest due to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a thickening of the heart muscle that forced the organ to work hard to move blood.
Dr. David Start, who performed Leonard’s autopsy, ruled Friday that the teen died from a heart attack connected to dilated cardiomyopathy, which weakens an enlarged heart and makes it unable to efficiently pump blood.
Kimble, who played for the Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks in an NBA career cut short by injury, has founded the nonprofit Forty-Four for Life Foundation that seeks to educate about heart illnesses and equip public areas with defibrillators that could save lives.
Mourning Wes Leonard
Enlarge Emily Zoladz | The Grand Rapids Press Wes Leonard's Fennville teammates embrace at a press conference Friday. (Emily Zoladz | The Grand Rapids Press) Mourning Wes Leonard gallery (4 photos)
He works to try and prevent people from becoming the next Gathers or Leonard by advocating people learn CPR and stresses improving the reaction time to cardiac events.
“It’s so important, and we need to be pro-active rather than reactive,” Kimble said.
Following Gathers’ death, Kimble led his Loyola teammates on a magical run to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament. The right-handed player honored his fallen friend by shooting his first free-throw of the game left-handed, a tribute to Gathers’ dominant hand. His squad, without Gathers’ nation-leading scoring and rebounding averages, lost to eventual champion UNLV.
Read More:Wes Leonard: Former NBA star Bo Kimble knows Wes Leonard's teammates' pain, offers advice and support
A 16-year-old American basketball player in Michigan collapsed on the court shortly after hitting the game-winning basket and died hours later.
According to the New York Daily News, Wes Leonard of Fennville High School went into cardiac arrest after the game.
Leonard, who scored over 1,000 career points, had just sunk the winning lay-up in a 57-55 win over the Bridgman Bees to round out Fenville's 20-0 season.
He was rushed to Holland Hospital around 9.20 p.m. on Thursday, and doctors were unable to restart his heart, a hospital spokesman said. He was pronounced dead at 10.40 p.m.
David A. Start, the chief medical examiner for Ottawa County, said the cause of death was "cardiac arrest due to dilated cardiomyopathy", or an enlarged heart.
Start said it is not clear how Leonard developed the heart condition.
The incident brings renewed focus on the safety of high school athletes - whether students are adequately screened for cardiac problems, and the importance of proper medical equipment and people trained to use it in emergencies.
Read More:Wes Leonard: US high school basketball player dies after making game-winning shot
FENNVILLE, Mich. —
Last night, a euphoric high school basketball game turned into a nightmare within a matter of seconds, and today students and faculty and community members in Fennville, Michigan are full of grief and sadness and trying to make sense of what they witnessed last night.
Wes Leonard, a popular star of the Fennville High School basketball team collapsed on the court and later died after making a game-winning layup in overtime. His winning shot sealed the team's perfect season by going undefeated. This story has gone global within hours.
Leonard died Thursday night at nearby Holland Hospital. His cause of death has not yet been determined.
Friends and fan sent into shock in Fennville, Michigan. AP Photo
According to media reports and fans, paramedics tended to Leonard right after he collapsed on the court after making the game-winning layup in overtime against Bridgman High School.
Leonard, a junior who also the quarterback of the Blackhawks football team.
Today, I hope you can pause and reflect on the gift of life, and how precious this gift is for ALL of us, regardless of our age or if your and on "opposite" sides of issues or teams.
So, so sad.
Read More:Tragedy in WES LEONARD: Fennville High School Basketball Player in Michigan collapses and dies on court after hitting game winning shot.
There was an absolute tragedy on Thursday night in Fenneville, Michigan when high school basketball player Wes Leonard collapsed and died after making the winning shot in his team’s game. Leonard had just made the layup that gave Fennville the lead in overtime and sealed their perfect 20-0 season. Fans rushed the floor and Leonard collapsed shortly after making the winning shot. He was taken to the hospital where the 16-year-old was pronounced dead.
Opposing coach Mike Miller of Bridgeman High said Leonard was “by far the best player on that basketball team – outstanding athlete.” In addition to scoring over 1,000 points in his career for Fennville, Leonard played quarterback on the football team, having thrown for seven touchdown passes in a game in October.
We’ve seen tragic stories before of athletes passing away during games, but this has to rank as one of the most sad and bizarre. Wes happens to be the second Fennville athlete to die recently as wrestler Nathaniel Hernandez died in January last year after suffering a seizure at home following his participation in a high school wrestling match.
It’s truly a sad story and LBS’ thoughts and prayers are with Leonard’s family and the Fennville community. Here’s some video from Thursday night’s game courtesy of WOODTV. You can see that Leonard was a player:
Read More:http://larrybrownsports.com/basketball/fennville-highs-wes-leonard-collapses-and-dies-after-making-game-winning-shot/56713
Wes Leonard of Fennville High School died after scoring the game winning shot for his team… in the video, you can see Wes Leonard playing for the Fennville team, moments before he collapsed.
The Michigan high school star collapsed after scoring the shot that won the game in overtime and later died.
Wes Leonard was 16. Cause of death has not yet been determined.
Bridgman coach Mike Miller (they lost to Fennville) said of junior Wes Leonard, he was “by far the best player on that basketball team – outstanding athlete. All of Bridgman’s thoughts and prayers are going toward Fennville right now.”
So sad.
Read MOre:http://tv.popcrunch.com/wes-leonard-fennville-high-player-dies-after-game-winning-shot-video/
Jimmy Fallon just couldn't resist jumping on the Charlie Sheen bandwagon. The 'Late Night With Jimmy Fallon' host portrayed the troubled actor Wednesday night in a clip for a fake cologne appropriately called Winning.
Fallon delivers a near spot-on impersonation of Sheen, who has famously made the press rounds this week spewing out a mix of nonsensical ramblings.
Fallon jumbles direct Sheen quotes ("I'm a bitchin' rock star") with original material ("What's my name? Carlos Estevez? ¿Come se dice 'winning'") to the point where it's unclear what's a joke and what's reality. Sounds about right at this point.
I really hate to get on the band wagon and say the same thing that everyone else is saying. I actually listened to the whole song so that I could say something positive. I may have found one positive thing to say but I’m not sure. This Kim Kardashian song is pretty sad.
No wonder she was so nervous about her Kim Kardashian song. I hope that she decides to just stay a … what is she again? Her voice was not even her own and yet she still sounded HORRIBLE. I heard the beat on the Kim Kardashian song and I thought that it may be ok but then she started singing.
Read More:Kim Kardashian Sing a Song
It's the moment Kim Kardashian's fans have been waiting for since November.
The reality starlet finally released her debut single, "Jam (Turn it Up)," on Ryan Seacrest's KIIS-FM radio show Wednesday morning. (Listen to it here.)
The club-ready tune, produced by Terius "The-Dream" Nash, has Kardashian, 30, chanting, "Feeling so good/ feeling so right /got my hands up. Celebrate like it's my birthday / five more shots of tequila, I'm thirsty."
After giving the song a listen, tell us:
Read More:Kim Kardashian's New Song: What Do You Think?
Kim Kardashian wants her fans to "turn it up." Her new single made its world premiere on Ryan Seacrest's radio show on Wednesday (March 2). The track called "Jam (Turn It Up)" hit the airwaves with one mission: to make people dance.
The song is a loopy, Auto-Tuned, club-banging party jam about, well, club life. It was produced by The-Dream. "And they playin' my jam/ They playin' my jam/ Turn it up, turn it up (DJ)/ Turn it up, so I can rock the night away (away)," she sings on the bouncy chorus.
She then goes on to sing sexy phrases like "I'mma burn it out tonight, it's goin' down/ By live via satellite/ And all I see is angels in my eyes/ Buzz got me way up in the sky/ Maybach in the front (the front)/ Pick out any boy that I want (I want)/ DJ here I am/ Feeling good, feeling great, just got paid."
On the song's bridge, Kim describes club scenes with "Girls in the building/ Fellas in the club/ Boys spending money/ Girls looking good/ I'm on the floor, living my life/ Feeling so good, feeling so right/ Got my hands up/ Celebrate like it's my birthday/ Five more shots of tequila/ I'm thirsty/ Feeling so good, I'm feeling so great/ Tonight."
"It's a fun dance song," Kim told Seacrest, going on to describe the response it got in Las Vegas. "We played it in Tao in Vegas and the whole crowd was singing along in the end." When asked about plans for an album, she said, "Absolutely nothing. Just have fun. It's all in fun."
Read More: Kim Kardashian Debuts New Single
“I can’t believe it’s finally released! This was definitely something that was out of my comfort zone, but I’m so glad that I met with The Dream and that we worked on this project together. It was really an amazing experience recording in the studio and filming the musi
You’ll be able to buy Jam it on iTunes at 12 p.m. today! A portion of the proceeds from the sales of the song will be donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Read More:Kim Kardashian Premieres Her New Song *Jam*
Sexy screen legend Jane Russell passed away in Santa Maria, Calif. of respiratory failure at the age of 89 on Monday, her family told the Associated Press.
Known for her voluptuous hourglass figure, the brunette beauty became a pinup queen and movie star in the mold of Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth and other icons -- but managed to avoid any major upheaval or scandal in her personal life.
PHOTOS: Other stars we've recently lost
Russell's vampy breakout role was in the 1943 Western The Outlaw, directed by eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes. WWI soldiers were huge fans of the busty brunette, who wore low-cut costumes and swimsuits in countless photos.
Other Russell hits included comedy-western The Paleface (1948) with Bob Hope, Double Dynamite with Frank Sinatra, and Gentleman Prefer Blondes, a musical in which she went toe-to-toe (and sang) with Monroe. (Russell also starred in 1955 sequel, Gentlemen Marry Brunettes, without the world-famous blond).
Read More:Hot & Sexy Screen Legend Jane Russell Dies at 89
The Ides of March in Roman is simply the standard way of saying “March 15.” The term Ides comes from the earliest Roman calendar, which is said to have been devised by Romulus, the mythical founder of Rome. Whether it was Romulus or not, the inventor of this calendar had a penchant for complexity. The Roman calendar organized its months around three days, each of which served as a reference point for counting the other days:
- Kalends (1st day of the month)
- Nones (the 7th day in March, May, July, and October; the 5th in the other months)
- Ides (the 15th day in March, May, July, and October; the 13th in the other months)
Days in March:
March 1: Kalends; March 2: VI Nones; March 3: V Nones; March 4: IV Nones; March 5: III Nones; March 6: Pridie Nones (Latin for “on the day before”); March 7: Nones; March 15: Ides
Read More:Kalends is March 1 and Ides of March
Hundreds of unpaid extras needed for Clooney movie on Green Beer Day – Journal-News
OXFORD — Hundreds of unpaid extras will be needed for the George Clooney film “Ides of March” Thursday, March 3 – which is Green Beer Day in Oxford. Crews for the Clooney movie will be in town next week filming, but will use 708 extras on Thursday … read full article…
Halo: Reach Gets Defiant on March 15 – Escapist Magazine
Beware the Covenant on the Ides of March. It’s been about three months since the release of the Noble Map Pack for the excellent [I]Halo: Reach . This means that we’re about due for another one – and right on schedule, here comes “Defiant.” At least one of … read full article…
The Buzz | Whoopi: Lack of black Oscar nominees not a trend – Courier-Journal
Clooney acts in and directs “The Ides of March,” about a presidential campaign, and the filming around town has become a dominant topic. read full article…
Hess to promote pro MMA card at Boardwalk March 15 – News Herald
“But the popularity of MMA caught my eye. It caught everyone’s eyes.” This card, dubbed “Beware the Ides of March,” will feature 10 bouts, including a main event pitting Jeremy May and Frank Lester, both of whom appeared on the Ultimate Fighter … read full article…
Ladies and Gentlemen of the SLPP, “Beware of the V of March MMXI.” – Cocorioko
I want to credit Dr. Blyden, for providing the first part of my title. The second part is from the infamous Julius Caesar, “Beware the Ides of March.” No other warning was more fitting than this for Caesar at that time. Today in Sierra Leone … read full article…
Read More: Ides of march:Hot News
On last night’s episode of ‘Kourtney and Kim Take NY’ Kim Kardashian was very upset over her nude W magazine Kim Kardashian pics. The Kim Kardashian W magazine nude photos were reportedly to be portrayed as artistic with buildings 
covering Kim Kardashian’s silver painted body.
Kim Kardashian stated on last night’s show the photos were ‘full on porn.’ Many of the images from the November issue show her bare breasts and nipples.
Kim Kardas
hian also stated “I feel so taken advantage of. I’m more naked here than I was in my ‘Playboy.’ I’ve definitely learned my lesson. I’m never taking my clothes off again, even if it’s for ‘Vogue.”’
Continue reading on Examiner.com: W magazine Kim Kardashian pics, silver body paint and Kim Kardashian upset - Newark Reality TV | Examiner.com
Read More:Hot Kim Kardasian silver Body Pics
© Blogger templates The Professional Template by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008
Back to TOP