Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.
It's hard to keep track of high school basketball, but watching from afar, you could be forgiven for assuming the entire thing is dominated by sleazy coaches in track suits, all looking to turn 17 year-old kids into a big endorsement deal from Nike, and a top ranking in USA Today.
But then there's Bob Hurley at St. Anthony high school in Jersey City. Wednesday night, his Friars team upset the no. 1 team in the country (St. Patrick) to give them an inside track to a high school national title. SB Nation's Adam Zagoria has the full game story here.
But mostly, it's just refreshing to see someone like Hurley still kicking ass.
The St. Anthony victory on Wednesday essentially gives the Friars a National title, provided they can avoid any massive upsets through the rest of the New Jersey playoffs. And really, it couldn't happen to a better coach.
He's the antidote to the amateur hoops stereotype, and if you haven't seen the PBS documentary on his high school team, check it out. It's a cool look at one of the most successful coaches that basketball's ever seen at any level, and even better, it's the rare inside look at high school sports that actually makes you feel good about the world.
Plus, isn't it a rule? Any sports movie set to Explosions in the Sky is guaranteed to be good:
Wednesday night wasn't the first time Hurley's St. Anthony team beat an overwhelming favorite with more talent, and against a amateur landscape that looks more debased by the day, here's to hoping this year's national championship won't be Hurley's last.
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