Former St. Anthony High School basketball star Jerry Walker, who is also running for freeholder in District 3, spoke to ESPN about the iconic school’s imminent closure.
“I’m disappointed in it because I think about the future generations of kids that’s gonna come behind me that’s not gonna have the opportunity I had going to St. Anthony High School,” said Jerry Walker, who played on the school’s legendary 1989 team.
“It feels almost like a 50-year marriage that, you know, you’re parting ways, and I’m having that sort of feeling. I’m pretty sad about it, actually.”
Walker spoke during Thursday’s edition of Outside the Lines, as did Dan Hurley, an old teammate of walker and the son of dynamic St. Anthony coach Bob Hurley – who won 28 New Jersey state titles and four national championships during his storied career.
Officials, included the elder Hurley, announced Wednesday that the school would be closing for good in June, citing rising costs and declining attendance that had plagued the institution for decades.
When host Bob Ley asked Walker what the Roman Catholic school meant to Jersey City, the pro athlete (he was drafted by the New Jersey Nets in 1993) turned politician called it “a big staple for our city.”
“Well, it’s a big staple for our city. Coming back in 1988 when we first took over the No. 1 ranking, the city had signs up that said ‘Welcome to Jersey City’ but once that happened, it was ‘Welcome to Jersey City, the home of the Friars’ and that sign stayed up there for years.”
“So it’s something that’s part of the essence of Jersey City that’s gonna be truly missed, and like I said, I just feel bad for the kids that’s coming behind me.”
