The inspiring story of the most famous high school basketball coach in
America.
In 40 seasons as the head coach of St. Anthony High School, a private
parochial school in Jersey City, New Jersey, Bob Hurley has established
a standard of excellence and achievement without peer, and remarkably,
he has done this at a high school with a total student body enrollment
of about 230, with no gymnasium, and with an operating deficit that
threatens to shut the place down each year. Hurley himself sweeps the
floor before each home game. Despite the long odds against them,
Hurley's teams have captured 26 state titles and four consensus national
championships, all behind an astonishing career winning percentage of
.905.
In "Chasing Perfect," Hurley opens up his tool box and shares some of
the championship strategies he's developed to help lift his players up
and out of Jersey City. The narrative centerpiece will be each of St.
Anthony's seven undefeated seasons, with sketch profiles of some of the
most memorable players, making some of the most memorable plays in St.
Anthony history. Along the way, he'll offer empowering insights to help
coaches and players to elevate their games, while empowering the rest of
us to walk a more purposeful path. Part memoir, part coach's notebook
and part reflection on the St. Anthony players it has been Hurley's
privilege to coach, "Chasing Perfect" will stand as a compelling
barometer of life in and around the hardscrabble streets of Jersey City,
set against the backdrop of one of the most enduringly competitive high
school basketball programs in the country.
