Tales From the Front: Famous Basketball Coach Saves This Job

photo of Gene Keady

photo of Gene KeadyWhen it comes to college basketball facilities, the coach is king, and Byron Haflich at Noblesville, Ind.-based A & H Athletic Floor Services Inc. recalls a job when that definitely worked to his advantage: "About 20-plus years ago, we sanded, sealed, painted and finished Mackey Arena's gym floor at Purdue University. That summer was unusually hot and humid, and to compound those elements, Mackey Arena was below-grade, with very little air movement. The solvent-based paint that we used was taking a very long time to dry, and I felt uncomfortable about abrading and applying a solvent-based finish. After about a week of being pressured to finish the project by Purdue's Building Services, a meeting was scheduled. During our meeting, the men's basketball coach, Gene Keady, stopped in and inquired about progress. I told him my concerns; Building Services told them their concerns. In Coach Keady's infinite wisdom, he replied, 'If the paint is not dry, the paint is not dry! Wait till the paint's dry.' He walked away, and we all had permission to wait till the paint was dry."

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