St. Anthony High School was a four-year co-educational Catholic high school in
Jersey City
Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.basketball program coached by Bob Hurley, Sr. The school closed in 2017.
It operated under the supervision of the Archdiocese of Newark and was affiliated for much of its history with St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, which owns the building. The school had been accredited by the
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (Middle States Association or MSA) was a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association that performed peer evaluation and regional educational accreditation, accreditation of public and priva ...
Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1997.St. Anthony High School ,
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (Middle States Association or MSA) was a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association that performed peer evaluation and regional educational accreditation, accreditation of public and priva ...
Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed June 22, 2011.
History
Beginnings
The school was originally founded to serve the Padua parish, made up of Polish Americans and their children. Over time, the school's demographics shifted along with the local neighborhood, to a predominantly Black and Hispanic population.
Basketball success
Beginning in the 1960s under Bob Hurley, Sr., the school was known for its boys' basketball program, which won the state championship nearly every year and produced a number of successful
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
players.
Closure
The school struggled with funding and declining enrollments for many decades; however, funding always managed to be found. As of the 2013–14 school year, the high school had 224 students and 16.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), the school had a
student–teacher ratio
Student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio is the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students ...
of 14.0:1. There were 59 students in 9th grade, 68 students in 10th grade, 52 students in 11th grade, and 45 students in 12th grade.School data for St. Anthony High School
National Center for Education Statistics
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...
. Accessed March 2, 2017.
In the 2015–2016 school year there were 200 students, and 2016–2017 school year there were 183 students. In September 2016 the board of trustees announced that the community needed to raise $15–20 million in order to keep the school open. In September 2016 Patrick Villanova of '' The Jersey Journal'' wrote that St. Anthony "is seemingly always on the brink of closure, considering the razor thin margins."
In April 2017, officials at St. Anthony formally announced the high school would close at the end of the 2016–17 school year, due to declining enrollment (i.e. only 160 students in 2017) and the lack of funding to cover expenses. Increasing expenses were linked to the hiring of non- teaching order educators, and Bob Cook wrote in '' Forbes'' that gentrification may have contributed to the school's decline.
In efforts to reverse the decision of the school's looming closure, New Jersey GovernorChris Christie announced a challenge during an April 2017 appearance on radio station WFAN. Christie asked for the
commissioners
A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something).
In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports.
State championsh ...
. Accessed March 2, 2017. competed in the Hudson County Interscholastic League, which was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports.
State championsh ...
Jersey City Armory
The Jersey City Armory is located at 678 Montgomery Street near McGinley Square in Jersey City, New Jersey. In addition to being a military training and mustering facility of the New Jersey National Guard (New Jersey National Guard 2/113 Infantry ...
.
Boys' basketball
The boys' basketball varsity team, coached by Bob Hurley, had been, for over 39 years, the most dominant high school team in the country. St. Anthony had won a national record 28 state championships, set with a 74–44 win in the 2008 sectional championship game over Trenton Catholic Academy to win the Parochial B state title, the program's 25th.
The team has won state championships in:
Non-Public C
* 1968 (vs.
Sacred Heart High School Sacred Heart High School may refer to:
Canada
*Sacred Heart High School (Ottawa), Ontario
*Sacred Heart Catholic High School (Newmarket), Newmarket, Ontario
* Sacred Heart Catholic High School (Walkerton), Walkerton, Ontario
* Sacred Heart High S ...
Wildwood Catholic High School
Wildwood Catholic Academy (WCA), formerly Wildwood Catholic High School, is a co-educational pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade Catholic school in North Wildwood, in Cape May County, New Jersey. The school operates under the auspices of the R ...
)
* 1983 (vs. St. Peter the Apostle High School of New Brunswick)
* 1984 (vs. St. Peter of New Brunswick)
* 1985 (vs. St. Peter of New Brunswick)
* 1986 (vs. St. Augustine)
* 1987 (vs.
St. Joseph High School St. Joseph's School, St. Joseph's Catholic School, St Joseph's School, St Joseph's Catholic School, and variants are frequently used school names, and may refer to:
Africa
* St Joseph's School, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Asia
* St Joseph Higher Secon ...
of Hammonton)
* 1988 (vs. Wildwood Catholic)
* 1989 (vs. St. Rose)
* 1990 (vs. St. Peter of New Brunswick)
* 1991 (vs. Eustace Preparatory School)
* 1993 (vs. St. Augustine)
* 1995 (vs. St. Peter of New Brunswick)
* 1996 (vs. Eustace)
* 1997 (vs. St. Augustine)
* 2001 (vs. St. Augustine)
* 2002 (vs. St. Rose)
* 2004 ( Red Bank Catholic High School)
* 2008 (vs. Trenton Catholic Academy)
* 2011 (vs. Cardinal McCarrick High School)
* 2012 (vs.
Gill St. Bernard's School
Gill St. Bernard's School is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational, college preparatory day school located in the Gladstone, New Jersey, Gladstone section of Peapack-Gladstone, New Jersey, Peapack-Gladstone, New Jersey, United States, serving s ...
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports.
State championsh ...
Science Park High School
Science Park High School, formerly known as Science High School, is a magnet school, magnet state school, public Secondary education in the United States, high school located in the University Heights, Newark, New Jersey, University Heights sect ...
, 69–36)
* 2011 (vs. Plainfield High School, 61–49)
* 2012 (vs. Plainfield, 66–62)
* 2016 (vs. Linden High School, 55–38)
With a 61–49 win in the 2011 Tournament of Champions over Plainfield High School, the St. Anthony team completed a 33–0 undefeated season, won its 11th Tournament of Champions and was recognized by '' USA Today'' with its fourth national championship. The programs 27 NJSIAA state group titles are the most of any school in the state.
St. Anthony produced over 150 players to Division I basketball programs, all on full scholarships. Hurley has coached five first-round NBA draft picks, including his own son, Bobby Hurley.
In popular media
His team has been the subject of the book titled ''The Street Stops Here'' and a 2010 documentary film based on the book. That year, documentary crews captured the entire season as the Friars finished the season as the #1 team in the country.
Girls' basketball
The 1984 girls basketball team won the Non-Public Group B state championship, defeating
Wildwood Catholic High School
Wildwood Catholic Academy (WCA), formerly Wildwood Catholic High School, is a co-educational pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade Catholic school in North Wildwood, in Cape May County, New Jersey. The school operates under the auspices of the R ...
by a score of 59-46 in the tournament final.
Baseball
The baseball team won the Non-Public Group C state championship in 1970 (defeating
St. Joseph High School St. Joseph's School, St. Joseph's Catholic School, St Joseph's School, St Joseph's Catholic School, and variants are frequently used school names, and may refer to:
Africa
* St Joseph's School, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Asia
* St Joseph Higher Secon ...
of Hammonton in the tournament final), 1971 (vs.
Saint Augustine Preparatory School
:''This article discusses the school in Richland, New Jersey. For other institution of the same name, see St. Augustine's (disambiguation)''
St. Augustine Preparatory School
) and 1972 (vs. St. Joseph of Hammonton), and won the Group B title in 1987 (vs. Eustace Preparatory School). The 1971 team came back from a 2-0 deficit to win the Parochial C title with a 3-2 win against St. Augustine.
Willie Banks
William Augustus Banks III (born March 11, 1956) is an American athlete. Born at Travis Air Force Base, California, he grew up in San Diego County and went to Oceanside High School. Banks is an Eagle Scout.
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Banks was a track & ...
(born 1969), former Major League Baseball pitcher.
*
Petey Cipriano
Pedro Cipriano (born February 7, 1983) is an American-Cape Verdean basketball coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach at Saint Peter's University.
Early life
Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Cipriano graduated from St. Anth ...
(born 1983), basketball coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach at
Southern University
Southern University and A&M College (Southern University, Southern, SUBR or SU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is the largest historically black college or university (HBCU) in Louisiana, a ...
.
*
Hallice Cooke
Hallice Cooke ( ; born January 5, 1995) is an American basketball player who last played college basketball for the Nevada Wolf Pack.
Early life and high school career
Cooke grew up in Union City, New Jersey and played at St. Anthony High Scho ...
Donald Copeland
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The Wagner Seahawks men's basketball team represents Wagner College in Staten Island, New York, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Northeast Conference. They are currently led by head coach Donald Copeland and play their ...
New York Daily News
The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...
'', February 15, 2009. Accessed February 27, 2009. "His unbeaten 1989 team alone produced three NBA first-round picks – Bobby Hurley, Terry Dehere and Rodrick Rhodes. Six players from last year's 32–0 mythical national championship team – Mike Rosario, Travon Woodall, Jio Fontan, A.J. Rogers, Alberto Estwick and Tyshawn Taylor – accepted Division I scholarships."
*
Jerome Frink
Jerome Frink (born December 1, 1993) is an American basketball player for AB Contern of the Total League. He played college basketball for Florida International University (FIU) and LIU Brooklyn. He was named the 2017 Northeast Conference Play ...
(born 1993), professional basketball player for Domingo Paulino Santiago of the Dominican Santiago League.
*
Jimmy Hall
Jimmy Hall (born April 26, 1949) is the American lead singer and harmonica player for the Southern rock group, Wet Willie.
Hall was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and reared in Mobile, Alabama. He first gained notoriety in 1970 as the lead vocal ...
(born 1994), basketball player in the
Israeli National League
Liga Leumit ( he, ליגה לאומית, lit. ''National League'') is the second division of the Israeli Football League, and below its Premier League.
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There are 16 clubs in the league. At the end of each season, the two lowest-place ...
.
* Bobby Hurley (born 1971), former NBA player and current head basketball coach at
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
Lucky Jones
Lucious "Lucky" Jones (born April 22, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for BC Ternopil of the Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague. He played college basketball for Robert Morris, from 2011 until 2015. Jones entered the 2015 NB ...
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* Kaws (born 1974 as Brian Donnelly), graffiti artist, limited-edition clothing and toy designer.
*
Myles Mack
Myles Mack (born February 25, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for MKE Ankaragücü of the Turkish Basketball First League. He played college basketball at Rutgers University. He plays the point guard position.
High school car ...
Napoli Basket
Napoli Basket, known for sponsorship reasons as GeVi Napoli, is an Italian professional basketball team of the city of Naples. It's the ''de facto'' successor of the S.S. Basket Napoli, Basket Napoli which was dissolved in 2009.
The team has achi ...
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
seasons from 1999 to 2001, for the Atlanta Hawks and briefly for the
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...
point guard
The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...
for
American University
The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...
.
* Josh A. Moore (born 1980), former NBA basketball player.
*
Ahmad Nivins
Ahmad Naadir Nivins (born February 10, 1987) is a former American professional basketball player currently working as an assistant coach for the Lakeland Magic of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for Saint Joseph's.
High school car ...
(born 1987), professional basketball power forward.
*
Ashton Pankey
Ashton Pankey (born May 16, 1992) is an American basketball player who last played for Hapoel Galil Elyon of the Liga Leumit. He was an early entrant for the 2015 NBA draft.
Pankey attended Archbishop Molloy High School before transferring t ...
(born 1992), basketball player.
*
Rodrick Rhodes
Rodrick Rhodes (born September 24, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Houston Rockets in the first round (24th pick overall) of the 1997 NBA draft.
High school career
As a prep player, Rhodes was ...
(born 1973), former NBA basketball player.
* David Rivers (born 1965), former NBA player for the
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
, played at
Notre Dame
Notre Dame, French for "Our Lady", a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, most commonly refers to:
* Notre-Dame de Paris, a cathedral in Paris, France
* University of Notre Dame, a university in Indiana, United States
** Notre Dame Fighting Irish, th ...
.
*
Terrence Roberts
Terrence James Roberts (born December 3, 1941) is one of the Little Rock Nine, a group of African-American students who, in 1957, were the first black students ever to attend classes at Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. In ...
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Syracuse Orange men's basketball
The Syracuse Orange men's basketball program is an college basketball, intercollegiate men's basketball team representing Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. The program is classified in the Division I (NCAA), Division I of the National Co ...
Luther Wright
Luther A. Wright Jr. (born September 22, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player, in the center position.
Basketball career
A native of Jersey City, New Jersey, Wright played high school ball for one season under coach Bob Hu ...
Deseret News
The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...
'', June 5, 2007. Accessed August 28, 2017. "His height and success brought him to St. Anthony High School, the basketball powerhouse in Jersey City coached by Bob Hurley. He lasted a year before flunking out.... Using a cousin's address, Wright's family enrolled him at Elizabeth High School, another powerhouse, where he led his team to victory in the state's Tournament of Champions."
National Center for Education Statistics
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...