Juan Santamaria's World History II teacher appears more often than his 38-year-old high school teacher. Santamaria recently attended a football event in Kansas City and found himself among the crowd of basketball fans. He noticed a man reading the book “The Miracle of St. Anthony” about legendary high school basketball coach Bob Hurley Sr.
“You know, I know his son, Dan Hurley,” Santamaria said.
“That's not true,” the man answered. “I love you Dan.”
“I'm serious,” Santamaria said. “He was my history teacher.”
His audience didn't buy it.
“Yes,” Santamaria said. “That's how he started.”
UW coach Dan Hurley often talks about his time at St. Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey, and how it shaped him into the person he is today. He lost the chance to coach the Los Angeles Lakers, an elite college basketball coach who won the past two men's national titles and who moved on this summer.
Not much is known about Hurley's time as a teacher, which is often sought after by high school coaches. He mentioned them during a Final Four press conference in Arizona in April, first teaching health, physical education, sex education and driver's education at St. Anthony, then teaching classes at St. Benedict. He talked about how he learned to take control. , worked there from 2001 to 2010.
How did this super-enthusiastic coach with a red-faced reputation for challenging players and officials adapt to the classroom and teach about the French Revolution and the fall of the Roman Empire?
Recently, we announced that The Athletic Hurley laughed as he talked about his time as a teacher with about a dozen former students, coaches and faculty at St. Benedict's College. “Oh my god,” he said, unsure of what was about to happen. Hurley, who is majoring in liberal studies and minoring in criminal justice at Seton Hall, said teaching World History II was probably the most stressful time of his life. He also doesn't think he's ever worked harder.
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In the early 2000s, St. Benedict's had a diverse student body of approximately 500 students. The school was an all-boys school for grades 7 through 12. The school calendar included out-of-classroom sessions designed to engage students in community service and other activities. As hiking or martial arts. The dress code was a button-down shirt and tie, but later changed to a hoodie.
Hurley had just lost his assistant coaching position at Rutgers University, where he worked in admissions in addition to coaching and teaching. He is 28 years old, married and has a 2 year old son. Most days, his work schedule unfolds as follows:
8:30am to 11am: Teaching history. In World History II, which most students take in their second year, they learned the history of Europe starting from the Middle Ages. Until the first week, Hurley studied beyond the textbook because he was confident that “the smart kids would test me.” But those close to him thought it was a good fit.
“History is a lot of memorization, so I thought maybe he was going his way,” said Hurley's older brother, Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley. “There's no need to do labs or anything. If he did that, I'm afraid he'd blow up the school or something.”
11am to 2pm: School visit. Hurley drove his school-issued car to elementary schools in Newark, Irvington and East Orange to talk to students about the benefits of St. Benedict's Church. This showcased Hurley's people skills, which had been overlooked throughout his career in basketball.
“He's one of those players,” said P.J. Carlesimo, who coached Hurley at Seton Hall. “If people saw him pick on players or pick on officials, they'd say, 'Oh, he's the guy.' That's the kind of person I am.'' “But especially when you talk to the players, or the players he coached, they'll say, 'No, no, no.' They would do anything for him.”
3-6 p.m.: Basketball coach. Harley finishes the practice plan and executes the practice. Depending on the night, the Gray Bees might play a game. Another time I stayed late at a school fair to greet visitors. At least Harley will go home and grade her papers.
Father Edwin Leahy, St. Benedict's principal, never doubted Hurley's efforts, largely because of his father's success at St. Anthony's, where Hurley won 26 state championships. Because I've seen it.
“St. Anthony was just a tiny little box in the middle of Jersey City, right in front of the Holland Tunnel, and everyone did whatever they had to do to make things work,” Leahy said. Ta. “Danny grew up in an environment where he was surrounded by religious sisters and laypeople who did whatever they had to do, so teaching history wasn't something he looked forward to at first. I think he did whatever you had to do.”
Former students describe Harley in three main ways. He had a presence. He had a sense of humor. And he had stolen goods.
“If you grew up in the inner city or Newark or anywhere around it, you knew all your neighbors,” said Joe Caratura, Class of 2004. “You could play outside all day. Everyone sat on their stoops. Miss Susie across the street was your babysitter. It was just a community, and he felt like he was there. I felt like I belonged.”
Mark Onion taught English. Shortly after Hurley was hired, Onion went to watch summer basketball practices. He noticed the air conditioning was off and Hurley had his team play full court instead of full court. Gymwith the audience seats receding. Nothing is out of range. No fouls. Just grab the ball and go. test of will.
In the classroom, Onion realized that although the environments were different, the controls were similar. Harley paced the room. He posted a notice in the corner. He never sat behind a desk. “He sat along the front edge and was like a grand commander over the kids in the room,” Onion said. “He had the ingredients to know, 'Okay, I'm going to care about everyone in this space by just being really close.'”
“I think the worst thing that is sometimes said about teachers and classes is that there is no discipline,” Hurley said. “It's like, 'Kids don't show respect for their teachers.' So for me, I felt like if I went behind the desk, my presence wouldn't be as strong. And I felt like on some level… It would open the door to anarchy.”
Most of Hurley's classes had about 20 students. Some called him “Coach.” Others called him “Hurley.” He gave them nicknames. Anyone who wears a Dennis Rodman jersey becomes a “Rodman” for the rest of the school year. When someone slicks their hair back, they become “Slick.” Santamaria, Class of 2004, was shortened to “Santaman.”
Hurley released test scores by soccer position and jersey number. The players who scored in the 80s were wide receivers. I had jelly rice. For example, a player who scores in the 20s and fails will be given a running back position. Oh, here's Emmitt Smith.
Hurley says he wants to avoid certain positions.
“When you walk in there, you'll see there are jokes going on all over the place,” Santamaria said. “His class was fun because I knew there would be jokes. There was humor and there was something exciting going on and it was always fun.”
Harley was wearing khakis and a basketball pullover. (“I’ve never been interested in clothes,” he said.) He strutted. The students called it the “Hurley Shuffle” and tried to imitate it in the hallway. “People have always made fun of the way I walk,” Hurley said. His hair was receding and his midsection was growing. At lunch, Hurley would go to Branch Brook Park with faculty and staff and eat a few hot dogs with sauerkraut, onions, or chili peppers. Plan B was pizza.
His teaching style was direct. One student expressed it as, “Don't bust my balls. I won't bust your balls.” Another joked that he hated doing line drills in the gym and felt he had to get the job done. Almost everyone agreed that Mr. Hurley was responsible for them.
“He cared about what he was doing and he cared about the kids he was with,” said Jim Duffy, who also taught history. “I mean, a nickname sounds cute, but it's a way of managing a classroom to some extent. It's a total trick in education, because if you can't manage a classroom, you're not a basketball coach. Because they will eat you alive regardless.”
Although Hurley won his second consecutive national title and was surrounded by a difficult atmosphere, he still remembers his time as a high school coach. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
At St. Benedict's, students were allowed to work around the school. This program was designed to teach responsibility while putting money in students' pockets. Marcos Novoa's job was to clean the gym, which included Hurley's office.
Harley wasn't in Novoa's class. He wasn't much of a basketball fan. But almost every day, he entered Hurley's cubicle-sized office to clean up the trash and arrange his desk. He was a jokester. Harley was a jokester. they became friends.
“Even though we were all kids, we almost felt like he might be one of us,” said Novoa, now a New Jersey state trooper. “If I have a problem and I don't want to take it to someone important, so to speak, I think I'd probably feel more comfortable going to him first. He was a person I could relate to a little more than most people.”
Mike Malinowski credits Hurley with starting him on his path to becoming a teacher. One day in the fall of 2003, he was eating breakfast in the school cafeteria when Hurley and another teacher called him over. They asked Ms. Malinowski about her plans for college. Malinowski listed four schools he is considering. Hurley told him he had to choose Rutgers.
“He got me on that track,” said Malinowski, now in her 15th year as a teacher. “I was able to go to that university because of him. I went there and met my wife. I was involved with a lot of other great teachers and professors. What ultimately led me to become a teacher? …I can't lie and say that I became a teacher because of him, but I would be remiss if I didn't say that my experience with him made me a better teacher. .”
As a basketball coach, Hurley elevated St. Benedict's College to a national level. He had a record of 223 wins and 21 losses in nine years, and just like the Harleys, he struggled with every loss. If St. Benedict's has a difficult game coming up, he'll prepare a test or History Channel video for the next day's class, giving the Gravys time to reset if they lose. At St. Benedict's, calling out was not something teachers did. Harley doesn't remember ever taking a sick day in nine years.
(Speaking of losses, when Hurley called to discuss the Lakers job last spring, Leahy told him he was losing his mind and that he had to think about his wife, Andrea.) “You're going to lose more games with the Lakers.'' “You're going to lose in college. If you lose, you're a psycho,'' Leahy told Hurley. “When I got back to Andrea, she put her head in the pot. You'll get hit. I won't do that.”
Most of the students I spoke to at St. Benedict's College said, The Athletic I've been following Harley's career. From Wagner to Rhode Island to Connecticut, where the 51-year-old is in his seventh season, they're still seeing the same guy. Most people said that if they passed a Harley on the sidewalk, he might not know their names, but he would recognize their faces.
“I'm confident that if you put us in a room with Harley, he'll be exactly the same person he was 20 years ago,” said Louie Ribeiro, a 2005 graduate. “He'll joke, he'll tease about this, he'll talk about that. That's the type of person he is and that's fine. Just because he's successful in life doesn't mean he should change. do not have.”
Hurley, who was recently inducted into St. Benedict's Hall of Fame, said teaching is a lot like coaching. Classes were like practice. Tests and quizzes were like games. He wanted to show his students that he was ready. He wanted it to be fun. He wanted to show that he cared. Looking back, he considers this period to be the most important of his professional life, which led him to talk with Leahy about bringing his career full circle and returning one day to teach history and coach ball. That's why I've done it before.
UW is on the brink of a third consecutive national title, and Hurley knows it's a far-fetched prospect.
“I always think to myself…if I'm tired of the best sport and just want to go back to pure coaching and experiences like that, you never know,” he said. , then stopped. “Maybe it is, after all. Who knows?”
(Top photo: Michael Reeves/Getty Images)
