SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
By Arnie Leshin
I go way, way back when it comes to Bob Hurley, Jr., like when I was covering sports for the Hudson Dispatch in the Garden State and he was a 7th-grader and calling in scores for his father’s super St. Anthony boy’s basketball team in Jersey City.
No longer around, shut down suddenly as one of the finest program’s in the land when they closed its doors down in 1992, young Hurley later played five varsity years for the Friars and was heavily recruited.
And so at Duke, he emerged as one of the best-ever point guards and still has the national record for career assists.
So it was quite an exciting moment thinking back and watching his visiting Arizona State team that he has coached for eight seasons turn in a buzzer-beater 89-88 thriller over PAC 12 and state rival, 7th-ranked Arizona at the Wildcats’ McKale Center.
Down by 10 points with 3:37remaining, he called two time outs, applied his usual pep talks, and went wild when 15th-year junior Desmond Cambridge Jr. let loose with a 60-foot heave just before the red light came on. His team poured onto the court and it was quite a scene.
Afterwards, when he was interviewed by Michelle Gardner of the California Republic daily, who just happened to write for the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel when Hurley played for St. Anthony, she told him one his players said he was a lunatic as a coach.
“Yeah,” guess that’s true,” he answered, “and I guess I go a long way back as one. Did I get this way from my dad, maybe?
The exciting finish no doubt will get his team to March Madness as it improved to 20-4 and dropped already invited Arizona to 24-4.
Interesting that on his roster is his son, another Bobby Hurley Jr., now a sophomore who as a reserve had only scored one point.
“He’s a good kid,” he told Gardner, “I’m glad to have him aboard.”
That was one big surprise ending, the other was a monmouth one when a visiting hapless Florida State team, at 9-20, shocked state-rival, 12th-ranked Miami at its Watsco Center in Coral Gables, 85-84, making up a 54-31 halftime deficit.
Amazing, just amazing, on the road no less against the 23-6 Hurricanes. As the expected romp kept getting shorter, the Seminoles just kept hanging around, taking their first lead at 78-77 with 3:24 left on the clock.
On its own roll now while Miami called back-to-back time outs, FSU got a mean alley-oop from 6-foot-7 sophomore Matthew Cleveland, who played 29 minutes and scored a dozen points.
But the team high scorer was 6-5 junior guard teammate Darin Green who tallied his 20th point on a right-side jumper with 1:13 to go.
Shortly after, 6-5 junior Jalen Werley, who brought down seven rebounds to go with 11 points and five assists, came away with steal and a layup for a 83-81 lead with 24 seconds left.
Green then converted a pair of free throws to up it to 85-81 as the clock ticked down and a last second 3 for the Canes sent the Seminoles racing to the court with an unbelievable win.
Florida State was 30-for-61 from the field, had 29 rebounds, 16 assists, and made good on 8-of-19 3s. Shocked Miami was 34-for-64 from the floor, also took down 29 boards, had 18 assists and came away with only 8-of-20 3s.
Miami will of course be in the NCAA field, but a lesson to be learned here, it’s never over til it’s over.
