ESPN.com - NCB - Keady agrees to contract extension

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Gene Keady, whose name invariably is mentioned whenever a major college coaching vacancy occurs, received a two-year contract extension to stay at Purdue.

The announcement extending his contract through the 2004-05 season was made Thursday.

The contract for Keady, the longest-serving Big Ten basketball coach and the winningest coach in Purdue history, was to expire after the 2002-03 season. No terms of the new contract were disclosed.

"Gene enjoys what he's doing and is very good at it," Purdue athletic director Morgan Burke said in a statement. "He's a wonderful teacher and has the full respect of his players. He is a master at what he does."

Burke was in St. Louis with Purdue's Final Four women's basketball team.

The 64-year-old Keady, in Minneapolis to coach in the NABC Roundball Classic on Friday, also issued a statement that read: "I really like this team, and with nearly everyone back next year, I think we have a chance to be pretty good again, if the players work as hard in the offseason as they did last year."

Keady had been mentioned as a candidate for the job at UNLV, but Burke reportedly would not grant permission for the school to speak with Keady.

Within the past five years, Keady also was mentioned for coaching openings at Arizona State, Ohio State and San Diego State.

Keady has a 456-206 record and has won six Big Ten championships in 21 years with the Boilermakers. On Jan. 20, Keady won the 800th game in his 38-year career, which includes seven years as a high school coach and eight years in junior college.

He's been chosen Big Ten coach of the year a record seven times, was selected national coach of the year by The Associated Press in 1996 and served as an assistant last year with the U.S. Olympic team.

This past season, Purdue went 17-15 -- its worst record since going 15-16 in 1988-89 -- and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1992.

Purdue lost to Alabama in the NIT quarterfinals last week.

Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories