Keady remembers legendary coach

By Paul Trembacki
Sports Editor

Purdue coach Gene Keady will always remember his first encounter with Al McGuire, the legendary coach and sportscaster who died recently at the age of 72.

"We went down and ate lunch and ate at a hot dog and suds place way in one of the better parts of Milwaukee, needless to say," Keady said.

When Keady was a coach at Western Kentucky in the late '70s he wanted McGuire, who by then was done with his 20-year coaching career, to come entertain at a two-day tournament in Bowling Green, Ky. He met with the coach in Milwaukee and formed a lasting friendship.

"He was a piece of work," Keady said. "He was just a fun guy and wasn't all hung up on the basketball issues of X's and O's and that sort of thing."

Keady said McGuire, who spent 23 years as a broadcaster at NBC and CBS, was inaccurate once in a while.

"He told me I was crazy to take the Purdue job because (former Indiana coach Bob) Knight was going to dominate this league," said Keady, who was 21-20 against Knight.

McGuire coached Marquette to 11 postseason appearances, capped with an NCAA title in 1977, shortly after announcing that season would be his last.

"He's always been a big influence on most coaches that care about the game," Keady said.

"He was a great guy and a great loss to the game of basketball. I know he's in better hands now."

Carson coming on

Senior point guard Carson Cunningham has eight regular-season games left in his career, and his teammates are rooting for him to make the most of his opportunities.

"Carson's definitely back," teammate Maynard Lewis said. "His knees are feeling good. Carson's a great player and a great leader. I'm pretty sure that he'll finish his senior season strong."

After a five-game stretch in which he scored 26 points, Cunningham had a season-high 21 points in Saturday's 83-68 win over Minnesota.

After undergoing double knee surgery in the offseason, Cunningham hadn't scored more than 14 points in a game this season.

"I just went out there and said I've got to let it fly a little and not worry about if I'm feeling 100 percent," Cunningham, Purdue's lone senior, said.

"On top of that, Coach and the players told me, 'Keep shooting; we need you to score.' And that meant a lot to me."

Blind date

Although the time and date have not yet been set for Purdue's game with Indiana in March, the logistics for next month's Iowa game have been determined.

The Boilers will play the Hawkeyes at 8 p.m. EST Feb. 21 in Iowa City, Iowa. The will be televised by ESPN+. The Boilers lost to the Hawkeyes, 83-73, Jan. 13 in Mackey Arena.

A decision on the Boilers' contest with Indiana is expected by mid-February. The game will be played either at 8 p.m. March 3 or at 4 p.m. March 4.

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Sports editor:
Paul Trembacki

Assistant sports editor:
Anne McLaren

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