Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
St. Anthony had its documentary.
Now it’s St. Patrick’s turn.
One year after The Street Stops Here chronicled Bob Hurley and St. Anthony’s run to a perfect season (2007-8), Prayer For A Perfect Season will appear on HBO Oct. 25.
This feature-length documentary chronicles the effort of then-coach Kevin Boyle and his players, whose journey ends in a winner-take-all showdown for the mythical national championship with St. Anthony. (Boyle left after the season to become head coach at Montverde Academy.)
Both teams were undefeated entering the game, and St. Patrick was a heavy favorite, yet the Friars pulled the upset and won the mythical national championship.
Prayer For A Perfect Season captures the intersection of two forces – the soaring media interest in the big game, and the decline of Catholic school programs – while illuminating the real-life issues players and coaches confront during the season.
The Celtics were loaded with talent and plagued by distractions. Star player Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (now a freshman at the University of Kentucky) was one of the nation’s top performers and his elite skills had cast him in an unrelenting spotlight since grade school.
When Kidd-Gilchrist was just two and a half years old, his father was murdered, and he also lost his surrogate father at the beginning of his senior year of high school.
Complementing Kidd-Gilchrist, senior shooting guard Derrick Gordon (ticketed for Western Kentucky University) must live with his twin brother’s incarceration for aggravated assault.
Prayer For A Perfect Season follows the roller-coaster ride of a team on the brink of history, at a school on the verge of becoming insolvent, where the journey to the top of the polls is inspiring, but the future is filled with uncertainty.
RELATED CONTENT
**Chevannes ‘humbled’ to succeed Boyle at St. Pat’s
**Boyle leaves St. Patrick for Montverde
**St. Anthony routs St. Patrick to lay claim to No. 1
**St. Pat’s Dakari Johnson has ‘enormous potential
**St. Patrick-St. Anthony to be live streamed
**Recruiting picking up for St. Patrick’s Martin
**St. Patrick advances, now it’s St. Anthony’s turn
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
St. Anthony had its documentary.
Now it’s St. Patrick’s turn.
One year after The Street Stops Here chronicled Bob Hurley and St. Anthony’s run to a perfect season (2007-8), Prayer For A Perfect Season will appear on HBO Oct. 25.
This feature-length documentary chronicles the effort of then-coach Kevin Boyle and his players, whose journey ends in a winner-take-all showdown for the mythical national championship with St. Anthony. (Boyle left after the season to become head coach at Montverde Academy.)
Both teams were undefeated entering the game, and St. Patrick was a heavy favorite, yet the Friars pulled the upset and won the mythical national championship.
Prayer For A Perfect Season captures the intersection of two forces – the soaring media interest in the big game, and the decline of Catholic school programs – while illuminating the real-life issues players and coaches confront during the season.
The Celtics were loaded with talent and plagued by distractions. Star player Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (now a freshman at the University of Kentucky) was one of the nation’s top performers and his elite skills had cast him in an unrelenting spotlight since grade school.
When Kidd-Gilchrist was just two and a half years old, his father was murdered, and he also lost his surrogate father at the beginning of his senior year of high school.
Complementing Kidd-Gilchrist, senior shooting guard Derrick Gordon (ticketed for Western Kentucky University) must live with his twin brother’s incarceration for aggravated assault.
Prayer For A Perfect Season follows the roller-coaster ride of a team on the brink of history, at a school on the verge of becoming insolvent, where the journey to the top of the polls is inspiring, but the future is filled with uncertainty.
RELATED CONTENT
**Chevannes ‘humbled’ to succeed Boyle at St. Pat’s
**Boyle leaves St. Patrick for Montverde
**St. Anthony routs St. Patrick to lay claim to No. 1
**St. Pat’s Dakari Johnson has ‘enormous potential
**St. Patrick-St. Anthony to be live streamed
**Recruiting picking up for St. Patrick’s Martin
**St. Patrick advances, now it’s St. Anthony’s turn
