Matt Painter on Sharing Final Four Moment with Gene Keady: 'This is His Program'

Matt Painter got to enjoy a special moment with Gene Keady on Saturday as Purdue punched its ticket to the Final Four. Keady's legendary status isn't lost on Painter, who said it was "really cool" to be able to share that moment with his former coach.

Mar 2, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter shakes hands / Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

Gene Keady is considered a legend of Purdue basketball. Despite that status, the 25-year coach of the Boilermakers never reached a Final Four. He led the program to six Big Ten regular season championships, 17 NCAA Tournament appearances and was a seven-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, but the Final Four was the one omission from his impressive resumé.

Purdue fans were elated to see Keady on the floor at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Sunday, celebrating as the Boilermakers defeated Tennessee 72-66 in the Elite Eight to advance to the Final Four — the program's first trip since 1980.

Matt Painter played under Keady and was thrilled to get the opportunity to celebrate Purdue's unbelievable accomplishment with the legend. In an interview with 1070 the Fan's The Ride with JMV, Painter talked about celebrating that moment with his former coach.

"To be a Hall of Fame coach and all that he accomplished and all the people that he helped, wasn't able to get to that Final Four," Painter said. "So for him to be a part of that — this is his program. Let's not mess it up.

"He did so much for Purdue, he did so much for our community and for our basketball program. So for him to be able to experience that with us and our players and our fans, that was really cool. One of the highlights of my career to be able to share that with him."

Keady still owns the program record for wins, posting a 512-270 record while in West Lafayette. He continues to travel with the team in the postseason, and is already in Phoenix to cheer on the Boilermakers.

We'll see if Keady gets to celebrate a national championship this weekend.

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