What if ... Gene Keady had left for Arizona State in 1989?

Gene Keady was a hot commodity as the 1980s were coming to an end.

He had taken the Purdue job from Lee Rose in 1980 and promptly led the Boilermakers to three Big Ten titles in his eight seasons in West Lafayette. Keady also had taken the program to six NCAA tourneys and two NITs, with one Sweet 16 trip and a NIT title game on his resume.

Keady was rolling.

But his ninth team disappointed, going 15-16 overall (8-10 Big Ten) after winning Big Ten titles the previous two seasons. It was Keady's first losing record and ended his postseason run. As the season was winding down, rumors heated up that Keady was a top target for the Arizona State job.

What if he had left West Lafayette for Tempe? Who would have taken over the Boilermaker program? Would Purdue have had the same success in the 1990s that it enjoyed under Keady?

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