Friendship of Steve Lavin and his mentor, Gene Keady, drives St. John's
The dynamic of their friendship is on display after a win over Monmouth in November, as the two retreated to Lavin's office and split a bottle of wine, reminiscing well into the night. While Lavin recounts his days at Purdue, Keady pores over the game's box score, periodically interrupting his pupil to remark on a particularly noteworthy stat. The two banter and tease each other, the mark of a true friendship. Lavin jokingly refers to Keady as Mr. Miyagi, a basketball Buddha and a wise old owl. When Keady shares one of his time-tested theories on winning basketball games -- if you score the first basket of the game, the last of the first half and the first of the second half, you're guaranteed to win -- Lavin laughs him off. But then he grows serious and remembers who he is talking to and who he is talking about: Keady, one of the all-time coaching greats.