I just wrapped up a great basketball read titled
The Miracle Of St. Anthony: A Season with Coach Bob Hurley and Basketball’s Most Improbably Dynasty.
Here is a quick description from Amazon.com
In a city mired in endless decay, where the youth suffer through all the horrors of urban blight, hope comes in a most unassuming form: a tiny brick schoolhouse run by two Felician nuns where a singular basketball genius takes teenagers from the mean streets of Jersey City and turns them into champions on the hardcourt. Coach Bob Hurley had been working miracles at St. Anthony High School for over thirty years, winning state and national championships and offering his players rescue from their surroundings through college scholarships, when he met his most dysfunctional team yet. In The Miracle of St. Anthony Adrian Wojnarowski follows Hurley through a gripping and heartrending season as he struggles to lead a troubled team to glory through his unparalleled understanding of the game and his ceaseless determination to see no more children lost to these streets.
In The Miracle of St. Anthony, acclaimed sports journalist Adrian Wojnarowski follows Hurley through a gripping and heartrending season, as he struggles to lead a troubled team to glory through his unparalleled understanding of the game and his ceaseless determination to see no more children lost to the city streets.
I have owned this book for quite some time now and finally decided to give it a read. I am so glad I took the time to read. It was a perfect read for me as I coached through my first year of coaching girls basketball.
I loved reading the struggles and ups and downs of this team as they worked their way to a perfect season. At the end of the day, this book reminded me that no matter where you coach or where you are from at the end of the day kids are kids. The difference is that they all come with many different factors, but when you can strip away all the stresses of life and focus on the game of basketball there is a sense of serenity.
Coach Bob Hurley is intense. He pulls no string and gets to the point. He has high expectations and has found a way for troubled youth to rise to the occasion.
I just really enjoyed reading the journey and getting into the lives of everyone involved. This book proves as a great reminder that there is more to a program and coach than the players and head coach. It really takes an entire community to make things happen.
This was an enjoyable read. Obviously, you are not going to learn drills and plays from this book, bu rather a story about how everything comes together to make magic happen. I look forward to finding another book to provide me some motivation and insight.
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