St. Anthony High School was a four-year co-educational Catholic high school in Jersey City, New Jersey, that was known for its high-powered 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 Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1997.

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 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. 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 Governor Chris Christie announced a challenge during an April 2017 appearance on radio station WFAN. Christie asked for the commissioners of Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League 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 Friars 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. They practiced at White Eagle Hall and often played at the Jersey City Armory.

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

Non-Public B

The program also won the Tournament of Champions 13 times: 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 program's 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 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. 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.

State and national championships

Notable alumni