Prayer For A Perfect Season, HBO’s excellent documentary about last year’s St. Patrick team, was a reminder that a highly successful basketball program doesn’t necessarily insure parochial schools against financial hardship – especially with the economy currently the way it is.

In North Jersey alone, Paterson Catholic shut its doors last year, while 2011 national champion St. Anthony is constantly on the bubble – even with the legendary Bob Hurley working on its behalf. St. Patrick, founded in 1863, is dealing with some of the same difficulties, while attempting to launch a whole new era after longtime coach Kevin Boyle took a new opportunity at Montverde Academy in Florida. Read More »

After last night’s dynamic and captivating premiere of HBO’s Prayer For A Perfect Season, I can’t help but smile at both the timing of its release and the purity that it represents. Director Marc Levin, (Brick City, Protocols of Zion and The Last Party, amongst other works) has always been known as someone that does not pull any punches as his high-stakes mentality explores the human element of each story he follow. Prayer For A Perfect Season is no different as the human side drives this film forward with every scene, floor burn and four-letter word – which starts and stops with love. The love of the game; the love of team; the love of family; and perhaps most valuable of all, the love of the journey. Read More »

While I tend to disagree, people often say that high school basketball is “the last pure platform of the sport.” Where the NBA and even college ball have become all about business (see: lockout, NCAA Tournament ad dollars), high school hoop is played primarily for the love of the game. (I mean, those were my glory days.) So thankfully this fall HBO is coming out with a documentary, Prayer For A Perfect Season, on New Jersey basketball powerhouse St. Patrick High School (Elizabeth, N.J.) after following them throughout the 2010-11 season. Read More »