You may be surprised to learn that legendary high school basketball coach Bob Hurley and legendary college basketball announcer Bill Raftery love the current NBA game — the breaking gambling scandal notwithstanding.
Raftery called the gambling allegations tragic — and said he hopes they don’t destroy those involved, or the game itself. But when it comes to the explosion of offense in recent years, well …
“It’s the most thrilling thing I’ve ever seen,” he said.
Crediting Steph Curry for leading the way, Raftery said basketball is more exciting than ever.
“The amazing range that these young people have, both in high school and college as well as the pros, is absolutely extraordinary,” he said. “Some people don’t like it. I think the cutting and passing is a lot better than when the Bad Boys were in Detroit, and they used to lock it up and pound on one another.”
Raftery and Hurley were speaking to a few hundred last night at the Stone House in Warren, at the scholarship dinner for Cento Amici — perhaps the best nonprofit you’ve never heard of.
And as much as they liked speaking about the modern game, you could tell the old-school Hudson County legends were happier to look back at the players who made the county one of the hot beds for basketball talent in the country:
- Tommy Heinsohn (St. Michael’s in Union City).
- Bobby Trudell (St. Aloysius in Jersey City);
- Nikky Galis (Union Hill in Union City);
- Danny Callandrillo (North Bergen High);
They all got a mention. So did Hurley’s sons, Danny and Bobby Jr., who played for him at St. Anthony’s in Jersey City.
It was the ultimate pay-it-forward moment for two guys who have had such an impact in the county — going back to Raftery’s playing days at St. Cecilia’s in Kearny and Hurley’s at St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City.
And it was the type of conversation — and connection — that makes Cento Amici so special.
The organization’s 37-year legacy is quietly powerful: Giving kids from underserved neighborhoods a shot at private school, and maybe, a shot at greatness.
Yes, there were some current basketball players in the room, but the night was about far more than talking about what happens on the court.
Bob Zito, who created the organization along with his late father, encouraged the approximately 100 high school students at the event to work a room filled with business leaders from across the state.
Want to help?
Cento Amici (100 Friends) is a community-based member organization that has been providing need-based scholarship assistance to qualified students in New Jersey since 1989.
Founder Bob Zito said: “Our mission is to enhance the educational opportunities for those who need it most and who are most underserved by existing need-based programs.”
To learn more and to contribute, click here.
Raftery echoed the idea, imploring the kids to learn not only from those they may meet on this night, but from their current coaches and teachers — their first mentors, he said.
“It’s amazing how you can learn from others,” he said. “People before you have set the tone. Now, you have to grab it and move forward with your lifestyle.
“You’re standing on the shoulders of those who came before you. Please take advantage — both here tonight and wherever you go during your school day or workday. It certainly is going to help you down the road, because you’re building inventory with people.”
Raftery, who was the head coach at Seton Hall before going into the broadcast booth, talked about how sports teach life lessons — how to battle through adversity and be a good teammate when it’s not your time to shine. Staying positive is the key.
“Things can turn around at any point in your life if you’re positive about what you’re doing,” he said.
Of course, Raftery being Raftery, there were plenty of good one-liners throughout the 20-minute chat.
- He said he loved doing talks with Hurley because they’ve combined for 1,400 coaching wins — before adding 1,300 are Hurleys;
- He said legendary Big East founder Dave Gavitt suggested Raftery get into broadcasting — after watching his Seton Hall teams play;
- When asked to name his favorite broadcast partner, he said, “The ones who like to drink the most,” before offering praise for two of his longtime colleagues: Verne Lundquist and Ian Eagle.
Hurley took the time to praise Raftery, too.
The coach, who earned a spot in the basketball Hall of Fame after winning 28 state championships at St. Anthony’s, reminded folks in the room that Raftery was the state’s all-time leading scorer when he graduated from St. Cecilia’s in 1959.
He did so, Hurley said, because he feels what makes the self-deprecating Raftery so good on the air is that he still loves the game. Raftery scouts the current players and coaches — and makes his broadcasts about them, not him, Hurley said.
“He’s so good for the college game because he’s there,” he said. “He goes to the practices. He knows what the teams are trying to do, and he puts a spin on it that a coach can listen to and a fan can listen to.”
How much of the night immediately rubbed off on the scholarship awardees in the room isn’t clear. And that’s OK.
Raftery and Hurley know the impact of a single conversation may take years to bloom.
Raftery said he was first introduced to the idea of being a coach and broadcaster when he was still playing — and that the early advice from legendary broadcaster Bob Wolff didn’t resonate at the time but stuck with him later.
That’s why last night’s conversation wasn’t a pregame pep talk as much as it was a philosophy for life. And why it didn’t end with a buzzer-beater, but a baton pass.
Raftery and Hurley weren’t just telling stories — they were handing off lessons. And if even one student in the room carries that forward, Cento Amici’s mission continues.
