St. Anthony High School was a four-year co-educational

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

high school in Jersey City known for its high-powered

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

program coached by Bob Hurley, Sr. The school closed in 2017. It operated under the supervision of the

Archdiocese of Newark The Archdiocese of Newark is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in northeastern New Jersey, United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes all of the Catholic parishes and schools in the New Jers ...

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 Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1997.St. Anthony High School
, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools 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 Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

and

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

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 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 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. 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 ''The Jersey Journal'' is a daily newspaper, published from Monday through Saturday, covering news and events throughout Hudson County, New Jersey. ''The Journal'' is a sister paper to ''The Star-Ledger'' of Newark, ''The Times'' of Trenton an ...

'' 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 A teaching order is a Catholic religious institute whose particular charism is education. Many orders and societies sponsor educational programs and institutions, and teaching orders participate in other charitable and spiritual activities; a teachi ...

educators, and Bob Cook wrote in ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' that gentrification may have contributed to the school's decline. In efforts to reverse the decision of the school's looming closure,

New Jersey Governor The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official res ...

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Christie, who was born in N ...

announced a challenge during an April 2017 appearance on radio station

WFAN WFAN (660 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to New York, New York, carrying a sports radio format known as "Sports Radio 66 AM and 101.9 FM" or "The Fan". Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station serves the New York metropolitan area while ...

. Christie asked for the commissioners of

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

, the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

, the

National Basketball Association 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 ...

, and the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

to each donate $125,000, in order to meet the school's minimum investment need of $500,000. Despite this, the school was closed in June 2017.

Athletics

The St. Anthony High School FriarsSaint Anthony High School
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed March 2, 2017. competed in the

Hudson County Interscholastic League The Hudson County Interscholastic League (formerly known as the Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic Association) is a New Jersey high school sports association operating under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Asso ...

, which was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. They practiced at

White Eagle Hall White Eagle Hall is a music, theatre, and dining venue in a restored historic building in the Village neighborhood of Downtown Jersey City, New Jersey, located on Newark Avenue. Originally built in 1910 as community center. It was used for even ...

and often played at the

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 Robert Emmet Hurley (born July 31, 1947) is an American basketball coach. At the now-closed St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, New Jersey, Hurley amassed 26 state championships in 39 years as a coach. On February 2, 2011, Hurley became the ...

, 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 Trenton Catholic Preparatory Academy (formerly Trenton Catholic Academy) is a Catholic school in Trenton, New Jersey. It serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grades and formerly operated under the auspices of the Diocese of Tr ...

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 in the finals) * 1969 (vs. St. Augustine Preparatory School) * 1973 (vs. St. Joseph's High School of Camden) * 1974 (vs. St. Joseph's of Camden), 1976 (vs. Sacred Heart) * 1977 (vs. St. Joseph's of Camden)

Non-Public B

* 1980 (vs. St. Mary's High School of South Amboy) * 1981 (vs.

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 Ro ...

) * 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 of Hammonton) * 1988 (vs. Wildwood Catholic) * 1989 (vs. St. Rose) * 1990 (vs. St. Peter of New Brunswick) * 1991 (vs.

Eustace Preparatory School Bishop Eustace Preparatory School is a Catholic high school in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey. Founded in 1954 by the priests and brothers of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate (The Pallottines), the school operates under the auspices of ...

) * 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 Red Bank Catholic High School is a four-year private coeducational Roman Catholic high school, located in Red Bank in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, operating under the supervision ...

) * 2008 (vs.

) * 2011 (vs.

Cardinal McCarrick High School Cardinal McCarrick High School (CMHS), later known as Cardinal McCarrick/St. Mary's High School, was a Catholic secondary school located in South Amboy, New Jersey, that operated under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen. ...

) * 2012 (vs. Gill St. Bernard's School) * 2016 (vs.

Roselle Catholic High School Roselle may refer to: * Roselle (plant), a species of hibiscus (''Hibiscus sabdariffa'') **A drink made from that plant, also called "Hibiscus tea" Roselle is the/a name of: ; People * Mike Roselle - American environmental activist and author ; ...

)NJSIAA Boys Basketball Championship History
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020. The program also won the Tournament of Champions 13 times: * 1989 (vs. Elizabeth High School in the inaugural tournament by a score of 62–55) * 1991 (vs.

Seton Hall Preparatory School Seton Hall Preparatory School, generally called Seton Hall Prep or "The Prep", is a Roman Catholic all boys' high school located in the suburban community of West Orange in Essex County, New Jersey, operating under the supervision of the Arch ...

, 63–39) * 1993 (vs.

Middle Township High School Middle Township High School is a four-year public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Middle Township in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Middle Township Public Schools. In ...

), 84–59) * 1995 (vs. Shawnee High School, 47–44) * 1996 (vs. Shawnee, 65–57 in overtime) * 1997 (vs. Seton Hall Prep, 69–63) * 2001 (vs.

Malcolm X Shabazz High School Malcolm X Shabazz High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Newark Public Schools. Founded as South Side High School in 1912, the school was renamed in 1 ...

, 48–47) * 2002 (vs.

Neptune High School Neptune High School is a comprehensive four-year community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Neptune Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Neptune Townsh ...

, 69–42) * 2004 (vs.

Bloomfield Tech High School Bloomfield Tech High School (also Essex County Bloomfield Tech or Bloomfield Tech) is a regional public high school located in Bloomfield, that offered occupational and academic instruction for students in Essex County, New Jersey, United Sta ...

, 67–55) * 2008 (vs. Science Park High School, 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 ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...

'' 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 Robert Matthew Hurley (born June 28, 1971) is an American college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils. He was previously the head coach at the University at Buffalo. As a college ...

In popular media

His team has been the subject of the book titled ''The Street Stops Here'' and a 2010

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

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

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 of Hammonton in the tournament final), 1971 (vs. Saint Augustine Preparatory School) and 1972 (vs. St. Joseph of Hammonton), and won the Group B title in 1987 (vs.

). The 1971 team came back from a 2-0 deficit to win the Parochial C title with a 3-2 win against St. Augustine.

State and national championships

Notable alumni

* Kyle Anderson (born 1993), basketball player for

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

. * Willie Banks (born 1969), former Major League Baseball pitcher. * Petey Cipriano (born 1983), basketball coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach at Southern University. * Hallice Cooke (born 1995), guard for Nevada Wolf Pack basketball team. * Donald Copeland (born 1984), former professional basketball player who is the head coach of the

Wagner Seahawks men's basketball 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 thei ...

team. *

Terry Dehere Lennox Dominique "Terry" Dehere (born September 12, 1971) is an American former basketball player who played six seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was an All-American college player at Seton Hall University. Following his p ...

(born 1971), Politician, former NBA basketball player.Weiss, Dick
"Ahmad Nivins grows into stardom at St. Joseph's"
'' New York Daily News'', 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 (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. *

(born 1971), former NBA player and current head basketball coach at Arizona State University. *

Dan Hurley Daniel S. Hurley (born January 16, 1973) is an American basketball coach who currently coaches the University of Connecticut men's basketball team. Hurley was named head coach of the Huskies on March 22, 2018, after two years at Wagner College a ...

(born 1973), former point guard at

Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the ...

and current head basketball coach at the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from H ...

. * Lucky Jones (born 1993, class of 2011), professional basketball player for

Aris Aris or ARIS may refer to: People * Aris (surname) Given name * Aris Alexandrou, Greek writer * Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player * Aris Christofellis, Greek male soprano * Aris Gavelas, Greek sprinter * Aris Howard, Former President of the Jama ...

of the

Greek Basket League The Greek Basket League (GBL), often also referred to as the Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), and also known as the Stoiximan Basket League for sponsorship reaso ...

. *

Kaws Brian Donnelly (born November 4, 1974), known professionally as Kaws (stylized as KAWS), is an American artist and designer. His work includes repeated use of a cast of figurative characters and motifs, some dating back to the beginning of his c ...

(born 1974 as Brian Donnelly), graffiti artist, limited-edition clothing and toy designer. * Myles Mack (born 1993), professional basketball player for

GTK Gliwice Gliwickie Towarzystwo Koszykówki Gliwice, shortly GTK Gliwice, is a professional basketball club based in Gliwice, Poland. The team currently plays in the first level Polish Basketball League. History The club was founded in 1998 and initially f ...

of the

Polish Basketball League Polska Liga Koszykówki (PLK) (English: Polish Basketball League) is a professional men's club basketball league in Poland. It constitutes the first and highest-tier level of the Polish league pyramid. The winning team of the final round are crow ...

. *

Markis McDuffie Markis Derek McDuffie (born September 6, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for JDA Dijon Basket, JDA Dijon of the LNB Pro A and the Basketball Champions League. He played college basketball for the Wichita State Shockers men's ba ...

(born 1997), professional

player for Napoli Basket of the Italian

Lega Basket Serie A The Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) is a professional men's club basketball league that has been organised in Italy since 1920. Serie A is organised by Lega Basket, which is regulated by the Italian Basketball Federation (FIP). It is the highest-tier ...

. *

Roshown McLeod Roshown McLeod (born November 17, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round (20th pick overall) of the 1998 NBA draft. A 6'8" small forward from St. John's University and ...

(born 1975), played in three NBA seasons from 1999 to 2001, for the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

and briefly for the Philadelphia 76ers. * Derrick Mercer, basketball player who played point guard for American University. *

Josh A. Moore Josh Moore (born November 16, 1980, in Newark, New Jersey) is an American professional basketball player and actor. Moore played professional basketball in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Los Angeles Clippers, in China and Iran ...

(born 1980), former NBA basketball player. * Ahmad Nivins (born 1987), professional basketball power forward. * Ashton Pankey (born 1992), basketball player. * Rodrick Rhodes (born 1973), former NBA basketball player. *

David Rivers Not to be confused with David Foote Rivers David Lee Rivers (born January 20, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. A 6'2" (1.88 m ) tall point guard, he reached star status in the EuroLeague, mainly while play ...

(born 1965), former NBA player for the Los Angeles Lakers, played at Notre Dame. * Terrence Roberts (born 1985), former member of the Syracuse Orange men's basketball team. * Mike Rosario (born 1990), professional basketball player for

Piratas de Quebradillas The Piratas de Quebradillas is a Puerto Rican basketball team, part of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional league. Founded in the mid 1920s, it is one of the original teams of the league. The club enjoyed its most successful era during the 1970s, ...

of the

Baloncesto Superior Nacional The Baloncesto Superior Nacional, abbreviated as BSN, is the first-tier-level professional men's basketball league in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1929 and is organized by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation. The Baloncesto Superior Naci ...

. *

Tyshawn Taylor Tyshawn Jamar Taylor (born April 12, 1990) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the University of Kansas

(born 1990), professional basketball player. *

John Valentin John William Valentin (born February 18, 1967) is a former shortstop and third baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Boston Red Sox from 1992 to 2001, and spent a final season with the New York Mets in 2002. He later became a c ...

(born 1968), former professional baseball player who played in ten

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

seasons from 1992 to 2001, for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

and for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

in 2002. * Luther Wright (born 1971), former player in the NBA for the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

.Futterman, Matthew for ''

The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to '' The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of ...

''
"At rock bottom, Luther Wright finds salvation; Ex-Jazzman finds new life after years of excess"
'' Deseret News'', 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."

References

External links

St. Anthony High SchoolSt. Anthony AthleticsData for St. Anthony High School
National Center for Education Statistics {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Anthony High School, New Jersey 1952 establishments in New Jersey 2017 disestablishments in New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1952 Educational institutions disestablished in 2017 High schools in Jersey City, New Jersey Catholic secondary schools in New Jersey Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark Sports in Hudson County, New Jersey