I just recently read "The Miracle of St. Anthony" by the records sports writer Adrian Wojnarowski. The book was given to me a few years ago by a players parent. It sat on my desk shelf for a while until I decided to bring it with me on vacation. I WAS HOOKED!
Chapter 3 hit close to home mentioning my high school, Pascack Valley and my coach Jeff Jasper! St. Anthony is only 30 minutes away yet seemed so far for coach Hurley. Bob Hurley had come up to bergen county for a coaches clinic held at my old High School. At that time PV was looking to build a new gym, and Jasper was asking for support from the local tax payers. Too Hurley this was a movie, he never had a gym of his own. He never had the opportunity to ask residents of Jersey City to build him a new gym. The Sisters at St. Anthonys, Sister Alan and Sister Felicia felt this made the boys basketball team the best road team out there!
As I read on I saw myself learning more and more about the game. We share many things in common. Thoughts on AAU.... "AAU is Basketball Junk Food. "They just play. They're not expected to think". Coach felt he needed to deprogram his kids once they came back to play for him after a season off AAU.
I learned the background of basketball at the Riverside Church in New York City , and the controversial founder of the program Ernie Lorch. I learned about the history of the WHITE EAGLE, a ran down bingo hall that produced some of the best open gyms in the country. The book is full of extraordinary statistics. and history and it recaps a perfect season for the Friars. Bobby Hurley (son of Bob Hurley) left behind a 115-5 record at St. Anthony's under his fathers coaching.
The book served a great learning tool for a young coach like myself, but was also purely comical at times! Some of the lines that came out of Coach Hurley's mouth were hysterical! I admired a mad who pushed his kids to get everything he could out of them! The discipline and respect he expected on the court and off that would help develop character in these young men!
A must read for all!
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