Maybe Next Year Coach

Yesterday the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the members of its fiftieth enshrinement class. It is not one to sniff at, as the lineup includes His Airness, The Admiral, Captain Short Shorts, the legendary yet titleless Jerry Sloan, and Rutgers women’s coach C. Vivian Stringer. As a resident of the Pioneer Valley, I am glad that these five people will find a link to eternity in Springfield come September.

I am not surprised by the names on the 2009 enshrinement list but by one that was left off of it. Bob Hurley, the coach of St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, New Jersey was overlooked once again in the consideration for enshrinement. A high school coach? Seriously? This is what’s grinding my gears?

Though it may surprise you, there are already three high school coaches in the Hoop Hall. Most notably DeMatha Catholic of Marlyand’s Morgan Wootten who coached for 45 years and won 1,274 games. Bob Hurley is not far behind with over 900 wins and 23 state titles all garnered in one of America’s most tumultuous urban climes.

Despite innumerable offers to jump to the lucrative world of college coaching Hurley has kept a steadfast commitment to St. Anthony and the community it serves. The money he gathers through his many clinics and lectures is all funneled back into the school.

I recently finished reading Adrian Wojnarowski’s The Miracle of St. Anthony, which covers the season he spent with the team in 2003-2004. The book is A Season on the Brink meets Friday Night Lights, yet more timely and relevant than either of those titles. I actually picked it up in the Salvation Army knowing only that St. Anthony was a high school hoops dynasty and that Bob Hurley was the father of the former Duke point guard Bobby Hurley. The book was a pleasant surprise and a must read for any hoops fan.

CBS Sunday Morning recently did a profile of Hurley and St. Anthony, which I have posted below. Even if he doesn’t make the hall for another ten years, it is reassuring to know that in a world where sport is often commercialized beyond recognition, there are men like Bob Hurley.

Watch CBS Videos Online