PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Several community members and volunteers gathered at the Hank Gathers Recreation Center in North Philadelphia Friday morning to unveil the newest mural commemorating the center’s namesake.
The new mural, sponsored by Mural Arts Philadelphia, was designed by Ernel Martinez, Mtukufu Mtumaini-El and Guild Rec Crew.
It resembles a 1980s collector's card and features a portrait and action shot of Gathers. It replaces the recreation center’s original 2005 portrait also done by Martinez.
A Philadelphia native, Gathers starred at Dobbins Tech in North Philadelphia. He played forward for the Loyola Marymount Lions from 1987-90, and was the second basketball player in NCAA history to lead in scoring and rebounding in the same season.
A star in the making who battled a heart condition, Gathers career and life were cut short on March 4, 1990 when he collapsed on the court during a West Coast Conference tournament game, and died in a Marina Del Rey, California hospital at the age of 23.
Charles Gathers, Hank’s brother, was at the mural’s unveiling and thanked Mural Arts Philadelphia, the artist, and volunteers for commemorating his brother.
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“This is very special for the children, I think, that's coming up now for them to see somebody from this area that actually did something,” Charles Gathers said.
Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, a board member for Mural Arts, played at the Hank Gathers Rec Center in high school and believes it’s an inspiring place to be for young people.
“It was an opportunity for some of the best players all across the city of Philadelphia to come together, to compete, to break bread, to build relationships, and most importantly to put themselves in a position for other people to see them,” Thomas said.
Rasheeda Bagwell works as the Women’s Guild Coordinator for Mural Arts Philadelphia. Her son volunteered as part of the Rec Crew responsible for helping paint the mural.
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As a North Philadelphian herself, Bagwell remembers Gathers’ legacy, and hopes young people like her son will be inspired by him.
“It lets them know you can be more than what society expects of you,” she said.
“Just because you’re from a certain part of the city and you know your demographics does not have to be the end-all, be-all for you," she said. "You can be any and everything you want to be.”