Gene Keady will be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame Sunday in Kansas City, an honor the St. John’s men’s basketball advisor ranks among his most cherished accolades in a lifetime of basketball. Yet the former Purdue head coach wouldn’t call it a climax to his career.
At age 77, he isn’t done yet.
“[If] the right school would come along and I didn’t think it would make [St. John’s coach] Steve [Lavin] unhappy, I would go back to being a head coach, sure,” he said Thursday at the Joe Lapchick Character Award Luncheon at the New York Athletic Club. “I never lost the itch.”
Keady isn’t exactly waiting by the phone. He’s enjoying his time working with Lavin, who he considers another son, and helping St. John’s any way he can, imparting his vast wisdom on the program’s other coaches.
He expects Sunday to be a memorable day when former players, friends, family and coaching brethren will be on hand. Lavin is expected to introduce him and Keady said former Purdue star Brian Cardinal will be in attendance.
“I was humbled and surprised and very appreciative,” Keady said of the honor. “It’s something that is the ultimate reward because you’re not expecting it. It’s kind of like when they asked me to be an assistant on the [2000 Summer] Olympic team. I’m grateful they wanted me to be one of the inductees.”
Keady said this is his No. 1 honor, along with one other less prestigious award.
“I was voted one of the top 100 Irishmen one year,” he said jokingly.
In a career that has spanned more than five decades, Keady has coached at every level — high school, junior college, college and even one season in the NBA.
He’s best known for his many accomplishments as the Purdue head coach, the winningest coach in school history with 512 victories over 25 seasons. He was the Big 10 Coach of the Year seven times, the National Coach of the Year six times, and led the Boilermakers to the NCAA Tournament on 18 occasions.
Lavin and Keady met decades ago, when Keady brought Lavin in as a graduate assistant in 1988. The two often would attend alumni outings together and at the point Keady knew Lavin would be a successful recruiter because he was always the last one to leave, serving as a spokesman for the school. They bonded over their love of baseball and passion for coaching.
“Other than my parents he has been the most influential person in my life,” Lavin said.
Lavin returned the favor when he landed the St. John’s job, bringing in Keady as a special advisor four years ago. He has taken a liking to New York City, living in Battery Park with his wife, after getting over the initial shock of living in a big city and getting used to the heinous traffic.
Keady has found a home alongside Lavin with the Red Storm, albeit in a diminished role — his job doesn’t include on-court coaching — compared with his long head-coaching career.
“If I hear something I don’t think will work or I don’t like, I’ll tell them,” he said. “I just mostly tell the coaches and when the players are within earshot. It’s mostly about improvement, doing things right. KISS — keep it simple stupid. Basketball is not a very complicated game. I think the easier you keep it or simpler you keep it, the more chances you have at being successful.”
The Joe Lapchick Character Awards honored Naismith Hall of Famer Don Haskins, who led Texas Western to one of the most memorable NCAA championships, women’s basketball pioneer Theresa Grentz and former Iowa and USC coach George Raveling. Keady was a recipient of the award, in honor of the former St. John’s and Knicks coach, in 2012.