Bob Hurley is like any other veteran in the basketball profession — high school, college or pro — in that he’s a surefire master of coachspeak.
He’s unlike any other in his profession, however, in that it actually works.
His words may be basic, but his message — across 36 title-laden years of coaching St. Anthony High School in Jersey City — is anything but.
Take this gem from the upcoming documentary, “The Street Stops Here,” scheduled to air March 31 at
10 p.m. on PBS. This was a pre-practice speech to a 2007 star-studded team on the verge of a championship. The game preceding this practice was a nasty tug-of-war vs. Neptune High, in which there were technical fouls galore, and even an ejection:
“Sports are like life. You have to fight through obstacles,” Hurley preached to a stone-silent squad with only his echoes behind him. “You have to take something that you can’t do, and try to turn it into a strength.
“When things aren’t going well, you have to get out there, and work your way through the problem.
“OK? (Head nods). Let’s start stretching.”
Oh, those Friars stretched alright. They stretched all the way to an undefeated season and a state title, Hurley’s 25th. From there, six of those players moved onto NCAA Division I basketball.
“You’re lucky in life, if you have a passion for something,” said Hurley’s wife, Chris, the mother of former Friar greats Bobby and Danny Hurley. “And he does.”
And this Kevin Shaw-directed film captures the very essence of that passion. In what originally seemed like a story about an underdeveloped school and a program already told nationally a few times over, “The Street Stops Here” uniquely collars a man’s love for a game, a team and an institution in a struggling Garden State city that always could use a heartwarming tale.
“For him to stay in the belly of the beast,” former Friar guard Rashon Burno said, “says a lot about a man.”
And Hurley has done precisely that across his unbelievable career. He could have taken a job on an NBA bench several times. He didn’t. He could have done the same in the college ranks, even in the super conferences. He didn’t. Heck, after 900-plus victories, three national championships and a national coach of the year award, he could have just flat-out retired.
But, no, he loves his players far too much to do that. And never was that more evident than in 2007, when he oversaw one of his most talented — yet frustrating — collections. He shaped them, he guided
them and he put them on the clear path to the next level.
“Bob Hurley stayed true to himself and his community, a neighborhood some deemed invisible and not worth saving,” Shaw said. “His work was built on helping everyone reach their life’s potential.”
Now — as March Madness kicks in — many of them are on stage for all to see. Sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor, for instance, may win a national title next month at Kansas. And three more guards — Villanova freshman Dominic Cheek, Pitt redshirt freshman Travon Woodall and Rutgers sophomore Mike Rosario — all graced the Madison Square Garden floor this week during the Big East Tournament.
Three of those four will move on to the NCAA Tournament next week, strutting their stuff in front of a nation. They will play in various sites across the country, filling up box scores and breaking opponents’ hearts.
Back home in Jersey City, Hurley — who shoots for state title No. 26 today vs. Trenton Catholic — will watch with pride. And he will know that, just by doing his job the only way he knows how, those players — and so many others — are in a better place because of their time as Friars.
“We played,” Woodall said, “for the best high school coach ever.”
Any arguments?