September 25, 2003 For more information: Greg Dinkin 619-807-1887 frank@ventureliterary.com "No Kill Date" Venture Literary Sells An Inside Look at Coach Bob Hurley’s High School Basketball Dynasty to Gotham Books On September 25, 2003, Greg Dinkin of Venture Literary, representing The Record and ESPN.com journalist Adrian Wojnarowski, sold the North American rights to The Miracle of St. Anthony: A Season with Bob Hurley and Basketball’s Most Improbable Dynasty to William Shinker and Brendan Cahill at Gotham Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA). There has never been a more fascinating time to take a literary journey into the world of Bob Hurley and national powerhouse St. Anthony, into the heart of a story that transcends sports, into the triumph of the human spirit. The Miracle of Saint Anthony isn’t just a basketball book, but a study of poverty and education in America’s decaying inner-cities, a study of the sacrifices a legendary basketball coach, two nuns, and a school of underpaid, compassionate teachers is willing to make in the face of incredible odds. This is the story of a Catholic school that teeters on the brink of financial ruin, an oasis in the inner-city of Jersey City where the Felician nuns have turned to the school’s legendary coach to help save it one more time. Hurley and the sisters of St. Anthony have granted complete access to Wojnarowski, a nominee for the Pulitzer Prize in commentary and the Associated Press Sports Editors No. 1-rated columnist in America in 1997 and 2002. Wojnarowski makes frequent appearances on ESPN, Jim Rome’s television shows, and MSG Network’s Angles. National sports columnists like John Feinstein, Ian O’Connor, and Mike Wise have already offered praise for the forthcoming book. One of Jersey City’s own sons, Bob Hurley, who was a parole officer for thirty years, could’ve left these kids behind long ago. The trimmings fit for Hall-of-Fame basketball coaches—Armani suits and Lexus sedans—could’ve been his with all those college jobs that always came his way. Once, in 1985, Hurley was close to leaving for Xavier, but his son Bobby, an eighth-grader waiting to start his freshman year at St. Anthony, started to cry: "Who’s going to be my coach?" So Hurley stayed, and son Bobby went on to lead St. Anthony to its first of two national championships before leading Duke to two NCAA championships and becoming a first-round pick of the Sacramento Kings. He’s one of five St. Anthony players to be first-round NBA draft picks, and one of hundreds of teenagers who were able to land college scholarships off the hardscrabble Jersey City streets. Wojnarowski has been following the team since the summer, from their basketball camp in the Poconos to their first-place victory in the And1 National tournament this summer in Philadelphia. The book will conclude with what will likely be Hurley’s national record-tying 24th state championship in March 2004, with publication slated for March 2005. Editor Brendan Cahill said, "We are tremendously excited to have the opportunity to publish a book about one of the giants of coaching in the game of basketball, by a rising star in the world of sportswriting. In an era in which athletic competition has increasingly come to be dominated by money and scandal, Coach Hurley and the players at St. Anthony are an inspiration to all lovers of the game—and we are proud to have the opportunity to help bring their story to the world." To learn more about Venture Literary, visit: www.ventureliterary.com. To learn more about Gotham, visit: http://www.penguinputnam.com/static/packages/us/about/adult/gotham.htm.