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BY ANGELA DAIDONE
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
The basketball gods are smiling on the Hurley family.
"What a weekend it's been," said longtime St. Anthony High School basketball coach Bob Hurley from Indianapolis, where the official announcement came that he has been named to the Naismith Hall of Fame. "It's really a big deal. I'm really honored."
Hurley said the announcement capped off a banner week for the family. His son, Danny, the coach for basketball powerhouse St. Benedict's Academy, just accepted the head coaching position at Wagner College.
"He's making a big leap into college coaching, but he'll be great," said the elder Hurley.Dan Hurley, 37, inherits a program that went 5-26 in the final season under veteran coach Mike Deane but returns several experienced players to the Staten Island school, a member of the Northeast Conference.
Hurley previously was an assistant at Rutgers before landing at St. Benedicts, where he went 223-21 in nine seasons.
Meanwhile, the honor bestowed upon Bob Hurley came in advance of tonight's NCAA Final between Butler and Duke, where, coincidentally, Hurley's son was a star.
In 1991 Bob Hurley Jr. led Duke to the NCAA championship, also in Indianapolis.
"Bobby was disappointed that he couldn't get a flight from Florida to be here," said Hurley, adding that he expects the whole family to be in Springfield, Mass., in August for the induction ceremony.
The 62-year-old Hurley has amassed an incredible 24 state titles and nine Tournament of Champions squads, and has helped guide more than 100 young players to collegiate careers.
Not bad for the small Jersey City school that doesn't even have its own gymnasium. The Friars practice and play their home games at the nearby Golden Door Charter School, but that hasn't had much of a negative impact on the team that is state and nationally ranked season after season.
Hurley, who is 16 victories shy of the 1,000 mark in a career that has spanned 38 years, was a finalist for the Hall three times, including last year after his Friars went 32-0 and earned the nation's #1 ranking for the 2007-08 season.
"The first time I was nominated I was most excited, because I thought a nomination meant you were in," said Hurley. "But that didn't happen. Then last year when I was nominated again, I thought, 'Well, maybe this is it.'"
But again he fell short so this year's call was less emotional, he said.
"I told my wife, if I get it, I get," he said. "I was trying to be less pragmatic."
Hurley's wife Chris, who keeps score and stats for the Friars, was thrilled, he said. And she might deserve an award herself, he added.
"Chris has missed maybe five games of the almost 1,100 I've coached, so she's been a big part of all this," said Hurley.
The induction ceremony is scheduled for Aug. 13. Hurley will be in fine company as 1992 Dream Team members Scottie Pippin and Karl Malone will also be inducted as well as Lakers owner Jerry Buss, women's star Cynthia Cooper and the 1960 Olympic team.
