The Miracle of Saint Anthony
Reviewed by Chris Gadomski
Bob Hurley, a Frank McGuire Foundation honoree (2000), is a
basketball legend and the subject of Adrian Wojnarowski's book
set in the inner city bowels of Jersey City.
There, at the financially struggling parochial high School St.
Anthony, Hurley has established a men's basketball dynasty. The
book recounts the 2003-2004 season where Hurley is challenged
with a most improbable group of players--"the most dysfunctional
group I've had in 32 years"--in pursuit of another dominating
season.
Yes, the book is about Hurley, but more importantly it is about
a group of kids, living on the edge in a poor and dangerous
neighborhood. Yes, the book is about a man who wants to win and
trains and coaches his kids to play their best, but the main
message I enjoyed from this book was the author's description of
Hurley's drive to make the kids the best men they could be
beyond their roles on the basketball court.
Reading the book brought me back to my own high school varsity
experience. Not because we contended for a state championship,
but rather for the memories of my own coach who years ago
instilled in me and my teammates the feeling that to play on his
team meant that we were the best students in the school.
Like Hurley, his concern was not only that we developed to the
best of our ability on the court or on the field, but that we
also became leaders in our school and excelled academically.
This is a strong message, not only for students who went to a
comfortable prep school like I did, but especially for the
student athletes that Hurley had the privilege of
coaching--athletes from poor and violent neighborhoods where a
father in the home or money for a new pair of sneakers is an
unusual situation.
It is also a strong message for high school coaches today. For
Hurley, outstanding performance on the court by his athletes
followed perseverance and dedication to responsible behavior off
the court as students. "In Bob Hurley's gym...there is never any
back talk...only hard-nosed, old fashioned basketball executed
in its purest form..."
The book goes much further for the high school coach. The author
provides great insights into Hurley'approach to the game and
insights into his great basketball genius, colored by the ups
and downs of an unusual season.
That alone makes for a great read--an experience that is
enhanced by the author's witty and engaging writing style.
Wojnarowski, who is a sports columnist for The Record of
New Jersey and who frequently writes for ESPN.com and who has
twice been voted the Associated Press Sports Editor's number one
columnist in the nation, has a writing style that at times had
me recalling the suspense and drama that Sebastian Junger wove
through his tale of the Perfect Storm.
Yes, please take me to Amazon to get the
book. |
