OT - 60 Minutes story about coach

[Mark Padgett]

Tomorrow night (March 27), 60 minutes on CBS will have a story featuring Bob Hurley, basketball coach at St. Anthony HS in Jersey City. He's the father of Bobby Hurley and has amassed over 1000 wins in his 35 years of coaching. He's been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Should be a really interesting story. Looking forward to seeing it.

Gee - I wonder how many technicals he's received over the years?

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

Gee, I wonder how many technicals he's received over the years?

Gee, I wonder if Steve Kroft will ask him if he recruits, or just toss him softballs, à la Larry King, may he rest in peace?

And, of course, this interview will be followed by Andy Rooney's, "Didja ever notice how Catholic high schools win a lot of state basketball championships?".

Wait a minute. The control room is telling me that Larry King is still alive. I'll try to get that confirmed.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Gee, I wonder if Steve Kroft will ask him if he recruits, or just toss him softballs, à la Larry King, may he rest in peace?

And, of course, this interview will be followed by Andy Rooney's, "Didja ever notice how Catholic high schools win a lot of state basketball championships?".

Wait a minute. The control room is telling me that Larry King is still alive. I'll try to get that confirmed.

He coaches at a private school, why would that even need to be discussed?

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by BadNewsRef

He coaches at a private school, why would that even need to discussed?

The funny thing is, the promo for the segment said he doesn't recruit. I'll guess we'll find out tomorrow night.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BadNewsRef

He coaches at a private school, why would that even need to be discussed?

I have no idea what goes on in New Jersey.

That said, here in the Constitution State, public high school coaches have always been complaining about Catholic high schools winning a very large percentage of state championships. Public high schools draw from one town, or region of towns, or worse, from just one part of a single town. These public high schools have well defined geographic boundaries from which they can draw students. Catholic high schools, and to a lesser extent, state technical high schools, have no such geographic boundaries, and can draw students, and, of course, student athletes, from an unlimited geographic area.

New to this problem are the magnet high schools that are popping up like daisies all over Connecticut. These magnet high schools, like Catholic high schools, and technical high schools, draw their students, and student athletes, from an unlimited geographic area. We have one magnet school in our officiating area that is a Sport Sciences Magnet High School. Imagine the type of student athletes that will want to attend that school? Do you think that public high school coaches want to compete for a state championship against such a school?

Our state interscholastic sports governing body does have existing rules against recruiting students for athletic reasons, but these rules have been very difficult to enforce. Public high school coaches have wanted Catholic high schools to compete in their own state tournament division for many years (right now we have four divisions based on school enrollment size). Those suggestions have fallen on deaf ears.

[bainsey]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Gee, I wonder if Steve Kroft will ask him if he recruits...

I watched it tonight. Hurley says he doesn't recruit, and the rationale is the best typically come to him to weed out through try-outs. Considering his reputation, I'll buy it.

Public high school coaches have wanted Catholic high schools to compete in their own state tournament division for many years (right now we have four divisions based on school enrollment size).

As do we. (They're called "classes" in Maine, A, B, C, D.) You hear a few rumblings of separating the publics and privates here, but considering the publics win a lot more gold balls (state titles) than the privates, it's a moot point disregarded as sour grapes. We only have three Catholic high schools (one all girls -- state Class A champion with a D-size enrollment). The other private schools are either Christian schools or without any religious affiliation. There's some recruiting, but some public schools have also been involved just as much.

I went to a public school in Maine and a private school in South Carolina, where they separate public and private school leagues. While social factors are quite different in SC than those of ME, I'd hate to see Maine creating such a dichotomy between publics and privates.

[JRutledge]

We have a similar situation where there is this perception that the private schools get and advantage and recruit. The problem is many of the private schools are not that successful in basketball. I feel it is often an easy excuse for public schools to claim "recruiting" when a lot of those kids that go to those schools would have gone to private schools anyway. Either their parents went to a particular school or they kids attended similar schools before high school. And we also have a few conferences that are all private schools or Catholic in nature.

Peace

[grunewar]

I saw the story and thought they did a pretty good job.

He says - they don't recruit. Ok, I'll buy it.

Nearly 100% of his kids get accepted to a college - his favorite part of the story.

He makes ~ $9000/yr, is the school fund raiser.....and has had multiple opportunities to coach elsewhere over the yrs.

His wife is the scorekeeper.

PS - not one mention of an official.

[JugglingReferee]

St. Anthony, Pray For Us!

[Adam]

He doesn't have to recruit now; the players come to him.

[Andy]

We've got the recruiting complaints here in AZ also, but it is not totally directed at the Private and/or Religious schools.

Most AZ school districts have "open enrollment" where a new freshman can attend any HS they want. Once they start at a HS, however, there are guidelines regarding transferring to different schools. Barring certain things, like moving to another school's attendance area, the athlete and parents have to apply to the state association for athletic eligibility.

There have been cases of a kid attending four different high schools in four years by his/her parents renting an apartment in the new schools area....

[BktBallRef]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

I have no idea what goes on in New Jersey.

That said, here in the Constitution State, public high school coaches have always been complaining about Catholic high schools winning a very large percentage of state championships. Public high schools draw from one town, or region of towns, or worse, from just one part of a single town. These public high schools have well defined geographic boundaries from which they can draw students. Catholic high schools, and to a lesser extent, state technical high schools, have no such geographic boundaries, and can draw students, and, of course, student athletes, from an unlimited geographic area.

New to this problem are the magnet high schools that are popping up like daisies all over Connecticut. These magnet high schools, like Catholic high schools, and technical high schools, draw their students, and student athletes, from an unlimited geographic area. We have one magnet school in our officiating area that is a Sport Sciences Magnet High School. Imagine the type of student athletes that will want to attend that school? Do you think that public high school coaches want to compete for a state championship against such a school?

Our state interscholastic sports governing body does have existing rules against recruiting students for athletic reasons, but these rules have been very difficult to enforce. Public high school coaches have wanted Catholic high schools to compete in their own state tournament division for many years (right now we have four divisions based on school enrollment size). Those suggestions have fallen on deaf ears.

I think you meant NC, not CT. Identical issues here.

[BktBallRef]

Originally Posted by grunewar

He says - they don't recruit. Ok, I'll buy it.

What did you expect him to say?

[grunewar]

Originally Posted by BktBallRef

What did you expect him to say?

But, he was backed by a woman of the cloth.......I'm not calling her a liar!

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by Andy

Most AZ school districts have "open enrollment" where a new freshman can attend any HS they want.

My oldest daughter and her family live in a fairly large school district here in Oregon that has a similar policy. If your kid wants to attend a HS that is not the one in the HS boundary in which you reside, it's OK under two conditions. First, there must be room at the other school and second, there must be some reason (such as a logistical situation pertaining to how the kid would get to school, like a parent passing the other school on the way to work or a program offered there that's not offered at the closer school) although they really don't enforce the second condition. Her daughter will start HS in the fall and has decided to attend one on the other side of the district. It's because they have an outstanding girls soccer program and she is a soccer maniac. She has played on an all-star traveling team for three years and has been "recruited" by other schools because she averages scoring over two goals per game. It doesn't really matter too much, since all the high schools in the district are rated very high academically. A few of her friends are going to attend that school also.

Info for you guys familiar with the Beaverton, Oregon area - she lives in the Sunset boundary area but has decided to attend Westview.