#29: St Anthony’s High School (NJ) Coach Bob Hurley is his players' coach for life

Bob Hurley coached the St. Anthony’s team in Jersey City for 50 years – 45 as head coach. He is recognized as one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game, having won innumerable championships and being one of just a few high school coaches to be voted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. In this episode of the SGG podcast, Coach Hurley discussed:

1.  Growing up playing sports at St. Paul’s in Greenville.

2.  High school coach Jack McCoy giving him a chance to play in a summer basketball league.

3.  Becoming an athletic director at age 19.

4.  The impact of being the oldest of four children.

5.  How the “recreation man” helped improve his self-esteem.

6.  “The anonymity of fighters” – the unrecognized people who lay the groundwork for us all.

7.  Behind the scenes moments that helped shape David Rivers’ future.

8.  What he prioritized when consulting his players on college recruiting decisions (quality of school and a coach “on the way up”).

9.  Why it’s important to maintain contact with his former players during their first semester away at college…and his perspective that a “high school coach is coach for life.”

10.  Basketball being “over-coached and under-taught.”

11.  Keeping the gym open for young kids and teaching them the game via the Hurley Family Foundation.

12.  Advice from Chuck Daly to pay your dues as a young coach: “It takes five years to get comfortable.”

13.  Why he pushed so hard to make his players better.