New Jersey hoops powerhouse closes

Associated Press

NEWARK, N.J.

A day after the closing of national high school basketball powerhouse St. Anthony’s was announced, Hall of Fame coach Bob Hurley read as much as he could about the decision.

The 69-year-old just wanted to know how the little Roman Catholic school in a New Jersey inner city that faces out to the New York City skyline was being perceived.

Many people knew about the 28 state basketball titles, the four national championship and the more than 1,100 wins that his teams posted during his tenure. But St. Anthony’s was more than sports, and Hurley saw that, too.

The articles told of the 100 percent acceptance to college over the last two decades, the low tuition that afforded the children of the poor a chance for an education and a mission to build character in students.

He read it all, that is, between the phone calls from his former players, other coaches, parents and friends.

“You enjoy the conversation and all the sudden it is sad,” Hurley said Thursday. “The gamut of emotions is going on today. But the day goes on.”

There was also a sense of closure after losing a decades-long fight against declining enrollment and rising cost.

The money just wasn’t there. Charging $6,100 in tuition for an education that cost $14,000 was a losing battle.

It was not a surprise. Hurley, the school’s president, had spoken to the faculty and staff almost every two weeks about the future and the prospects were not good.