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"You're supposed to guard him," Hurley shouted at his star player, Dominic Cheek, after the opposing team's star, Xavier Henry, scored a basket. "Where were you?"

Dressed in tan slacks, a short-sleeved maroon shirt and a black Reebok vest with "St. Anthony Friars Basketball" emblazoned on it, Hurley, 61, had to periodically sit down and towel dry his head because of all the sweat he generated.

In the end, his St. Anthony of Jersey City team prevailed over Oklahoma City (Ok.) Putnam City 58-50 in the Hoophall Classic. The triumph marked the latest win for a coach closing in on 1,000 career victories.

This mega-event featuring more than 40 teams from 16 states was played over four days a few miles from the Naismith Hall of Fame, where Hurley will likely one day be enshrined. He was nominated last year, but was not admitted. Only one person who coached exclusively at the high level, former DeMatha (Md.) High coach Morgan Wootten, is in the Hall.

"It would be the pinnacle of my coaching career if that happened," said Hurley, who has led St. Anthony to 23 state championships and 10 New Jersey Tournament of Champions titles and was featured in the book "The Miracle of St. Anthony." "I'm loving going to practice. Coaching games has nothing to do with any individual aspirations anybody has. We just love to do this."

Dan Hurley, Bob's younger son and the coach of St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, said he believed his father deserves to be in the Hall.

"I would think so. He's an iconic figure," Dan said after his Gray Bees beat Marietta (Ga.) Wheeler 77-67. "He's a coach's coach. If anyone is deserving, it's him. The time that he's spent coaching kids and helping kids, I would think that the Hall of Fame would be proud to induct him

"He's given his life not just to a coaching career, but to coaching. A lot of guys give their life to a coaching career where they can make the most money and get the best most high-paying job, as opposed to a coaching career. I would think that would be worth a couple of votes."

ESPN hyped the St. Anthony-Putnam City game as a mano-a-mano battle between the Villanova-bound Cheek and the Memphis-bound Henry, but Hurley may have been the biggest star of them all.

"The way they promote these games, it's about the stars," said Queens-based recruiting analyst Tom Konchalski. "They promote the stars as if it's Dominic Cheek vs. Xavier Henry. They're not stars. They're works in progress.

"The guy who's had the greatest impact in the game is Bob Hurley. He's the story."

Konchalski pointed to Hurley's use of various zones to help contain the 6-foot-6 Henry, who chose Memphis over Kansas and is considered the top senior in the nation in some quarters. Henry shot just 1-of-7 in the first half for four points before finishing with 24 points on 5-of-19 shooting.

"Because he's such a dominant player, we didn't want him to get rhythm," Hurley said of Henry.

"Sometimes they did a box-and-one, sometimes they stayed in a zone," Henry said. "They were just trying to stick with me and we just tried to work through it."

A slew of college coaches watched the game, and some paid attention to Hurley's every move.

"I watch him as much as I watch the game," said Fordham assistant coach Jared Grasso, who has successfully recruited three St. Anthony players and is working on more. "He's the best there is."

Here, after all, is a man who has turned down numerous college coaching jobs to remain at a tiny Catholic school seemingly always on the brink of going out of business.

"You have a very good feeling coaching the school," Hurley said. "In addition to just coaching there, they make you feel like they need you there. The school is financially needy, so I'm on the board. I do things to help raise money.

"The kids, many of them are looking for someone to give them some direction. I respect that. I welcome it....When you step into situations like that, you have to be very cautious because you don't want to raise everybody's children. But when you know you can step in and give some advice and it works out and they go to college, it's a great feeling."

Derrick Williams, a 6-7, 235-pound junior forward, said he's never met a coach with the "aura" that Hurley has, and that all the players hang on his every word, even if those words are shouted in their faces.

"When he talks, everybody listens, parents, other coaches," Williams said. "It's fascinating. [I've never met ] a guy that has that aura, that power that he has on the court."

Derrick's father said the coach has had a dramatic impact on his son in just the few months since he transferred to the school.

"I've never met a coach like Hurley," said Derek Williams, Derrick's father. "The man is phenomenal. The way he teaches the kids discipline and structure, he stays on top of them and that's good."

A year ago, Hurley coached a team that finished a perfect 32-0, won the Tournament of Champions and a mythical national championship and sent six players to Division 1.

But he says he's enjoying coaching this team, which was infused with three transfers 6-7 or bigger in Williams, Devon Collier and Ashton Pankey, more because it's not expected to win every game the way last year's outfit was.

A former Jersey City probation officer, Hurley retired last year from his job in the city's recreation department and now has more time to spend on coaching, correspondence and working out at his local gym.

"There's no rush," he said of being in the gym. "I really take my time."