Bob Hurley
Encyclopedia
Robert Matthew "Bob" Hurley, Sr. (born July 3, 1947) is the basketball coach at St. Anthony High School
in Jersey City, New Jersey
. Hurley has amassed 26 state championships and more than 1000 wins in 39 years as a coach, creating a national powerhouse despite substandard facilities and financial limitations. On February 2, 2011, Hurley became the 10th coach in high school history to win 1000 games. Five of his teams have gone undefeated, including his 2007-08 team. On April 5, 2010, he was announced as the only coach to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame
that year and only the third high-school coach in history to be so honored; he was formally inducted on August 13 of that year. Hurley is the father of Bobby Hurley
, a former All-American point guard at Duke, and Danny Hurley
, who was hired in April 2010 to coach Wagner College
after years of coaching at Newark's Saint Benedict's Preparatory School
, also one of the top high school programs in the nation. Danny has since hired Bobby as an assistant at Wagner.
Hurley's undefeated 1989 team, which featured Jerry Walker, Hurley's son Bobby, Terry Dehere
, and Rodrick Rhodes
, was ranked first in the nation by USA Today
. Three of the players on that team — Bobby Hurley, Dehere and Rhodes — were first round draft choices in the NBA draft. That team won New Jersey's first Tournament of Champions
and amassed 50 straight victories in a two-year span. It is generally considered one of the best teams in New Jersey history.
Hurley's 2007-08 squad was also undefeated, finishing with 32 wins and no losses and ranked number one in the U.S. even though no starter is taller than 6'6". The '08 team, with six seniors accepting Division I basketball scholarships, also won Hurley's 10th Tournament of Champions, winning its state tournament games by an average of more than 27 points per game. The team also won St. Anthony's 25th state championship, more than any other school in U.S. history. Hurley was the coach for 23 of those teams and an assistant coach on the other two. His teams are known for their speed, defensive intensity, and precise ball movement. He is known for his intense calls from the sideline to players during stoppages in play.
. The book chronicles how the team marched to an unbeaten season, state title, and number 2 national ranking despite off-the-court crises and not having a single senior graduate to a Division I program. St. Anthony, run by Felician nuns, has achieved this success with a student body of just 235, one of New Jersey's smallest.
Over the years, though, more than 100 graduates of the program have earned Division I basketball scholarships, including six from the 2007-08 team. Every senior to graduate from his program has won at least one state championship, with many winning several. Hurley has also produced a total of five first-round NBA draft picks: his son, Bobby, Dehere, Rhodes, David Rivers
, and Roshown McLeod
. Hurley has never been a teacher at or a full-time employee of St. Anthony. For most of his career, the coach was employed as a probation officer. Thereafter, he worked for the Jersey City Recreation Department, but has since retired. He has been instrumental in the restoration of the historic Jersey City Armory
to a modern sports arena.
Hurley gained national attention when his son Bobby graduated and became a four-year starter and All-American at Duke University
. Bobby, along with Grant Hill
and Christian Laettner
, led Duke to two NCAA titles.
Over the years, Hurley has been offered a number of college coaching jobs. He has turned them all down. He is also one of just a few high school coaches to be enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
.
The documentary captured several compelling moments as Hurley's team went undefeated that season, winning their 25th State Title and third mythical National Championship as voted upon by USA Today. The Friars were bolstered by top-notch talent currently starring at major Division I programs; Mike Rosario (Florida), Tyshawn Taylor
(Kansas), Travon Woodall (Pittsburgh), Jio Fontan (Southern California) and Dominic Cheek (Villanova). Other major prep players from that time making an appearance in the film include Sacramento Kings rookie Tyreke Evans
(American Christian H.S.) Cincinnati star Lance Stephenson
(Lincoln Brooklyn H.S.) and North Carolina swingman Dexter Strickland (St. Patrick's of Elizabeth, NJ). Interviews from Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and North Carolina's Roy Williams
are featured.
"The Street Stops Here," premiered nationally on PBS March 31, 2010 and is available on DVD http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003D7S9IW.
and Saint Benedict's Preparatory School
of Newark
. St. Patrick's had been coached by Kevin Boyle, who, like Hurley, is a graduate of Saint Peter's College in Jersey City. St. Benedict's was coached until 2010 by Bob's younger son, Dan Hurley, who played for St. Anthony and then Seton Hall University
. All three schools are within 10 miles of each other and have been consistently ranked in the top 10 in the nation in the past few seasons. Indeed in 2008, when Bob's team was ranked #1 in the nation, Dan's St. Benedict's squad was ranked #2, and only a 3-point loss kept St. Benedict's from an undefeated season and a #1 ranking of its own.
St. Anthony High School (New Jersey)
St. Anthony High School is a four-year co-educational Roman Catholic high school located in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, operating under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark...
in Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
. Hurley has amassed 26 state championships and more than 1000 wins in 39 years as a coach, creating a national powerhouse despite substandard facilities and financial limitations. On February 2, 2011, Hurley became the 10th coach in high school history to win 1000 games. Five of his teams have gone undefeated, including his 2007-08 team. On April 5, 2010, he was announced as the only coach to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame
Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, honors exceptional basketball players, coaches, referees, executives, and other major contributors to the game of basketball worldwide...
that year and only the third high-school coach in history to be so honored; he was formally inducted on August 13 of that year. Hurley is the father of Bobby Hurley
Bobby Hurley
Robert Matthew 'Bobby' Hurley is an American former basketball player and currently an assistant coach at Wagner College.-Biography:...
, a former All-American point guard at Duke, and Danny Hurley
Dan Hurley
Dan Hurley is the head basketball coach at Wagner College in Staten Island, NY, which is an NCAA Division I program in the Northeast Conference. He was named head coach in 2010 after a standout career as head coach of Saint Benedict's Preparatory School, where he built the New Jersey school into...
, who was hired in April 2010 to coach Wagner College
Wagner College
Wagner College is a private, co-educational, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 total students located atop Grymes Hill in New York City's borough of Staten Island...
after years of coaching at Newark's Saint Benedict's Preparatory School
Saint Benedict's Preparatory School
Saint Benedict's Preparatory School is a college preparatory school in Newark, New Jersey, United States. It is an all-boys, secondary school located on a urban campus serving students in the seventh through twelfth grades...
, also one of the top high school programs in the nation. Danny has since hired Bobby as an assistant at Wagner.
Hurley's undefeated 1989 team, which featured Jerry Walker, Hurley's son Bobby, Terry Dehere
Terry Dehere
Lennox Dominique "Terry" Dehere is an American Democratic Party politician, restauranteur and retired NBA basketball player....
, and Rodrick Rhodes
Rodrick Rhodes
Rodrick Rhodes is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Houston Rockets in the 1st round of the 1997 NBA Draft.-High school career:...
, was ranked first in the nation by USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
. Three of the players on that team — Bobby Hurley, Dehere and Rhodes — were first round draft choices in the NBA draft. That team won New Jersey's first Tournament of Champions
Tournament of Champions (NJSIAA)
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament of Champions is the sports tournament for New Jersey high schools that determines which high school will be crowned as the #1 overall team in the state for each sport...
and amassed 50 straight victories in a two-year span. It is generally considered one of the best teams in New Jersey history.
Hurley's 2007-08 squad was also undefeated, finishing with 32 wins and no losses and ranked number one in the U.S. even though no starter is taller than 6'6". The '08 team, with six seniors accepting Division I basketball scholarships, also won Hurley's 10th Tournament of Champions, winning its state tournament games by an average of more than 27 points per game. The team also won St. Anthony's 25th state championship, more than any other school in U.S. history. Hurley was the coach for 23 of those teams and an assistant coach on the other two. His teams are known for their speed, defensive intensity, and precise ball movement. He is known for his intense calls from the sideline to players during stoppages in play.
Book
Hurley's 2003-04 team, also undefeated and ranked second in the nation, is the subject of The Miracle of St. Anthony, a best-selling book by Adrian WojnarowskiAdrian Wojnarowski
Adrian Wojnarowski is a sports columnist and author, who regularly writes NBA articles for Yahoo! Sports.Wojnarowski has worked in print media, and in 2006 published a New York Times best-seller: The Miracle of St. Anthony: A Season with Coach Bob Hurley and Basketball's Most Improbable Dynasty. ...
. The book chronicles how the team marched to an unbeaten season, state title, and number 2 national ranking despite off-the-court crises and not having a single senior graduate to a Division I program. St. Anthony, run by Felician nuns, has achieved this success with a student body of just 235, one of New Jersey's smallest.
Over the years, though, more than 100 graduates of the program have earned Division I basketball scholarships, including six from the 2007-08 team. Every senior to graduate from his program has won at least one state championship, with many winning several. Hurley has also produced a total of five first-round NBA draft picks: his son, Bobby, Dehere, Rhodes, David Rivers
David Rivers
David Lee Rivers is a retired American basketball player. An explosive point guard, he reached star status in the Euroleague, mostly playing for Olympiacos Piraeus under coach Dusan Ivkovic....
, and Roshown McLeod
Roshown McLeod
Roshown McLeod is a retired American professional basketball player who was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1st round of the 1998 NBA Draft. A 6'8" small forward from St. John's University and Duke University, McLeod played in three NBA seasons from 1999 to 2001...
. Hurley has never been a teacher at or a full-time employee of St. Anthony. For most of his career, the coach was employed as a probation officer. Thereafter, he worked for the Jersey City Recreation Department, but has since retired. He has been instrumental in the restoration of the historic Jersey City Armory
Jersey City Armory
The Jersey City Armory is located at 678 Montgomery Street near McGinley Square in Jersey City, New Jersey. In addition to being a military training and mustering facility of the New Jersey National Guard , the WPA era armory has long been used as a sports arena, particularly for boxing,...
to a modern sports arena.
Hurley gained national attention when his son Bobby graduated and became a four-year starter and All-American at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
. Bobby, along with Grant Hill
Grant Hill
Grant Hill is the name of:* Grant Hill, American basketball player* Grant Hill , Canadian politician* Grant Hill, San Diego, California, an urban neighboorhood in central San Diego...
and Christian Laettner
Christian Laettner
Christian Donald Laettner is a retired American professional basketball player and entrepreneur. He had a distinguished college and national career, and played in the National Basketball Association for thirteen seasons, from 1992–2005. He is presently a minority holder for the Major League...
, led Duke to two NCAA titles.
Over the years, Hurley has been offered a number of college coaching jobs. He has turned them all down. He is also one of just a few high school coaches to be enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, honors exceptional basketball players, coaches, referees, executives, and other major contributors to the game of basketball worldwide...
.
Movie
In 2007-08, TeamWorks Media http://www.teamworksmedia.com was granted access to film a documentary portrait of Hurley and St. Anthony High School's fundraising effort. "The Street Stops Here," http://www.thestreetstopsheremovie.com directed by Kevin Shaw http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1338019/, captured challenges that tested Hurley's resolve. The most talented senior class Hurley ever assembled, with six seniors headed to Division I schools, was about to graduate without having won a state championship – something that has never happened to one of his teams. Even more dire, fundraising efforts were tied to a major Wall Street firm responsible for the current U.S. recession, raising a financial crisis that threatened to close St. Anthony.The documentary captured several compelling moments as Hurley's team went undefeated that season, winning their 25th State Title and third mythical National Championship as voted upon by USA Today. The Friars were bolstered by top-notch talent currently starring at major Division I programs; Mike Rosario (Florida), Tyshawn Taylor
Tyshawn Taylor
Tyshawn Jamar Taylor is a 6'3" American basketball player who currently plays for University of Kansas in the Big 12 of the NCAA.-High school:...
(Kansas), Travon Woodall (Pittsburgh), Jio Fontan (Southern California) and Dominic Cheek (Villanova). Other major prep players from that time making an appearance in the film include Sacramento Kings rookie Tyreke Evans
Tyreke Evans
Tyreke Jamir Evans is an American professional basketball player with Virtus Roma in Italy. He is also under contract with the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association , but is not currently playing with them because of the 2011 NBA lockout...
(American Christian H.S.) Cincinnati star Lance Stephenson
Lance Stephenson
Lance Stephenson, Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers. He was drafted with the 40th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. He is a shooting guard and attended Lincoln High School in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn...
(Lincoln Brooklyn H.S.) and North Carolina swingman Dexter Strickland (St. Patrick's of Elizabeth, NJ). Interviews from Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and North Carolina's Roy Williams
Roy Williams (coach)
Roy Williams is head coach of the men's basketball team at the University of North Carolina. After averaging nearly an 80% win percentage in 15 seasons at the University of Kansas, he became the eighteenth head coach at North Carolina when he replaced Matt Doherty in 2003...
are featured.
"The Street Stops Here," premiered nationally on PBS March 31, 2010 and is available on DVD http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003D7S9IW.
Coaching family
In the last five years, Hurley's teams have been challenged for supremacy in the state by St. Patrick's High School of ElizabethElizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 124,969, retaining its ranking as New Jersey's fourth largest city with an increase of 4,401 residents from its 2000 Census population of 120,568...
and Saint Benedict's Preparatory School
Saint Benedict's Preparatory School
Saint Benedict's Preparatory School is a college preparatory school in Newark, New Jersey, United States. It is an all-boys, secondary school located on a urban campus serving students in the seventh through twelfth grades...
of Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
. St. Patrick's had been coached by Kevin Boyle, who, like Hurley, is a graduate of Saint Peter's College in Jersey City. St. Benedict's was coached until 2010 by Bob's younger son, Dan Hurley, who played for St. Anthony and then Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
. All three schools are within 10 miles of each other and have been consistently ranked in the top 10 in the nation in the past few seasons. Indeed in 2008, when Bob's team was ranked #1 in the nation, Dan's St. Benedict's squad was ranked #2, and only a 3-point loss kept St. Benedict's from an undefeated season and a #1 ranking of its own.