Synopsis
Fathers and sons. Winning and losing. Making hard choices in life. This extraordinary book about a remarkable family and a true American hero explores some of the oldest and most important myths and truths about the American experience. Bob Hurley, Sr. is the veteran head coach of one of the most successful and unlikely basketball programs in the country. Nestled into a rough corner of crowded, crime-ridden Jersey City, St. Anthony High School has 270 students and no gymnasium. Yet in addition to innumerable tournament victories, state championships and #1 rankings, St. Anthony has produced such players as David Rivers, Terry Dehere, Jerry Walker, and two hustling point guards named Bobby and Danny Hurley, who happen to be the coach's two sons. What does it take to be a winner in today's world? How can a father instill the competitive spirit in his children, yet teach them how to put their losses behind them? How can young people today survive negative peer pressure and learn discipline and a successful work ethic? With veteran New York sportswriter Phil Pepe - and featuring observations by both Bobby and Danny Hurley - Bob Hurley shares his views on balancing a life of family, sports, and intense competition. Against the dramatic backdrop of St. Anthony's championship 1992-93 season - the same season that Bobby and Danny went head-to-head against each other in a game between Seton Hall and Duke - coach Hurley describes his own childhood in ethnically diverse Jersey City, playground basketball duels between his father and brothers, college recruiting wars, and the hurdles his sons and many of his players had to overcome both on and off the court.