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Very well done Coach Bob Hurley!!! A+

Hurley's program was the subject of an outstanding book a few years ago "The Miracle of St. Anthony"

http://www.amazon.com/Miracle-St-Anth ... -Improbable/dp/1592401023

St. Anthony is one of the top HS basketball programs in the country. And although Hurley does recruit some outside residents, it is nothing like Oak Hill Academy or other prep schools that serve as basketball factories. I can't speak for this year's roster, but generally most of the kids have been from Hudson County.

Coach Hurley could have made buckets of money by taking a college gig, and no one would begrudge him for doing so after what he's done for St. Anthony. So please lets put the cynicism aside for one brief moment and appreciate how much this man has given to the school and the community, even if he does take a few outside prospects.

It was a nice story - I did not know anything about this man till I saw the segment this morning. Well done. I'm not into sports at all - it has always puzzled me on how much importance is placed on people playing games - but I do understand it, and it works well with these kids. I think that he is doing a great job by remaining in JC and doing this despite many attempts to get him to coach for much more money at the college level.

Saw the story and enjoyed it. If you've seen Hurley coach you'd know he's quite a character, and it's evident he has been an inspiration to many young men, helping them aspire to and obtain a college education.

I told my brother--a big HS basketball fan--about the segment, and with his typical cynicism he said something like, "Let me guess, Hurley's still going on about helping the kids of Jersey City? You know none of the starting five are from NJ this season."

I can't verify this statement, but I do know that the 3 big additions to the team this year--Collier, Williams, and Panky--transferred from high schools in the Bronx or Staten Island. Hurley's recruiting efforts have certainly been crossing rivers in recent years . . . not to say he doesn't have love for JC. Go Friars!

Here is the video link to a story on Coach Bob Hurley and St. Anthony High School basketball that ran this morning on CBS News Sunday Morning.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/03/sunday/main4917067.shtml