Why is Purdue's Basketball Program Family-Oriented? Matt Painter Credits Gene Keady
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ROSEMONT, Ill. — The word "family" gets thrown around a lot when talking about Purdue basketball. It's not by accident or an oversimplification of how the program operates. It's a word used by hundreds of current and former players and coaches. How did it become so family-oriented?
During Big Ten Basketball Media Days on Thursday, coach Matt Painter gave almost all the credit to his former coach and Purdue legend, Gene Keady. He says Keady is the one who established such a strong culture during his time in West Lafayette.
Former Purdue assistant coach and current Big Ten Network analyst Bruce Weber asked Painter about the "family" aspect of the program. That's when the current Boilermaker coach heaped praise on Keady.
"I'm fortunate, because it was his blueprint, not just for coaching and teaching, but for a program," Painter said. "He would always talk about that. You can have a good team, but can you have a good program? Do you have discipline? Do you graduate your players? Do they come back? That's what you see now."
The latest example of Purdue's family-like atmosphere came in August, when the Boilermakers hosted their bi-annual Alumni Game. Not only was there an awesome turnout for the game, but hundreds associated with the program showed up at Painter's house.
It was so crowded that not everyone had the opportunity to chat with the Purdue head coach during their stay.
"We had 350 people at my house who came back, and there were people there, and I was like, 'Hey man, why didn't you come out to the house afterwards? He goes, 'I was there for three hours, I couldn't get to you.'"
A lot has changed in college basketball since Keady's final season at Purdue in 2005. There's been the introduction of NIL, the transfer portal, and plenty of player movement, especially in the last five years. The landscape looks much different than it did when the iconic leader of the Boilermakers was last on the sideline.
One thing that hasn't changed, though, is the impact Keady has had on the program in West Lafayette. That family atmosphere that he preached for 25 years remains one of the strongest cultures in college basketball.
"It's special, especially in today's world, with everyone moving, we do have a basketball family. For Coach Keady, at 89 years old, to be able to see all those faces ... it's a special deal."
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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