"The Bloods are red. The Crips are blue. I still think the strongest colors in Jersey City are maroon and gold."
Confused?
Maroon and gold are the school colors of the country's most feared and successful prep basketball program, the Friars of St. Anthony. The face of the program is Bob Hurley, an intense and impassioned old school coach whose unparalleled success on the sidelines has been challenged by a career-long struggle to sustain a financially stable bottom line for his small, Catholic high school in Jersey City, New Jersey.
In 35 years at the helm of St. Anthony, Hurley has compiled over 900 wins and 25 state titles (two as an assistant coach), and sent over 100 former players to Division I programs on scholarship. More impressively, Hurley has turned down countless lucrative coaching gigs at the college and pro levels to continue inspiring and motivating his young and impressionable players while helping St. Anthony remain solvent.
In an effort to raise awareness of the St. Anthony mission, Hurley invited TeamWorks Media behind the scenes to "show people how hard our kids and our staff work not just at winning basketball games, but at finding ways to succeed in life." The result -- The Street Stops Here -- is a touching visual journey that authentically captures Hurley's relentlessly demanding coaching style and powerful influence in transforming his young players' lives.
"The kids here need this school. They need a place that keeps them off the street, but every year it's a struggle just to keep our doors open," Hurley said.
On Wednesday, March 31, The Street Stops Here will premiere at 10pm on PBS (EST), a fitting prelude to the Final Four storylines around March Madness. The Street Stops Here weaves together stories of a team's record-setting pursuit of a 25th state championship, teenagers fighting to get out of underprivileged neighborhoods, fundraising amidst the collapse of Wall Street and how one man uses basketball to teach life lessons.
It's truly "One Shining Moment" for The Street Stops Here.
It's truly maroon and gold.
Follow Peter Robert Casey on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Peter_R_Casey
Are the athletic ones the only ones worth saving? I've been fascinated by gang life since I was young, partly because I liked what it offered to kids like me, admiration and fear. Most gangbangers aren't athletes; in fact it's just the opposite. Schools and society spend alot of time 'saving' these athletes, but I wonder if the motivation is more about greed and misplaced values. Sports figures are high value and sports is all about money, sadly even at the high school level.
The kids most at risk are those who aren't athletic, artistic, or geniuses, and few of these programs even look at them, much less try to save them (the one exception is a Jesuit run school in Chicago).
As President of the Board of Trustees of St. Anthony High School I can assure you that the school is not only concerned with saving poor kids who are athletes. In fact, the school of approximately 250 children has a 17-year streak of getting 100% of our students (both athletes and non-athletes) accepted into college. It's a pretty amazing accomplishment and, after watching the film, I'm sure that you will agree that St. Anthony High School (and possibly others) are other exceptions!
Regards...Gary W. Heinz