Keady to leave Raptors to tend to ailing wife

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Former Purdue coach Gene Keady won't return as an assistant for the Toronto Raptors and says his wife's health problems leave him uncertain about his coaching future.

The Raptors did not renew their one-year contract with Keady, who retired last March after going 512-270 in 25 seasons at Purdue, team spokesman Jim LaBumbard said Friday.

Keady said his wife, Pat, suffered a heart attack on May 11 and faces a long rehabilitation process.

"I need to be with my wife," Keady told The Indianapolis Star.

Keady, who turns 70 on Sunday, said he did not talk with Raptors officials about returning and was not sure whether he would coach again.

"The players were great, the other coaches were great," Keady said. "I enjoyed everything about it except for Pat not being there. I don't regret doing it, but I need to be with her."

Pat Keady remained at the couple's Lafayette, Ind., home while he worked in Toronto.

Dropping Keady from the coaching staff was one of the first personnel decisions made since Bryan Colangelo took over as Toronto's new president and general manager.

Keady had joined coach Sam Mitchell's staff in December.

"They (management) were talking about bringing someone in to help Sam," LaBumbard said. "Gene said he'd give it a try. He's another veteran with a different perspective, a different set of eyes, someone who's been around. He was a welcome addition."

As a college coach, Keady earned national coach of the year honors six times and was named Big Ten coach of the year a record seven times, including three straight years from 1994-96. He coached the Boilermakers to six Big Ten championships and his teams finished in the final Associated Press Top 10 rankings six times.

Keady also helped select the 1984 and 1988 U.S. Olympic teams and was an assistant on the U.S. team that won the gold medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press

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