The Kevin Sheehan Show - Pat Behan's Championship Battle

Episode Date: March 6, 2023

Kevin talks with St.John's High School Basketball Coach Pat Behan about his incredible journey this year to a championship in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference all the while battling ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). #BehanStrong. Go to BehanStrong.com to "Punch Back 4 Pat".  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You don't want it. You don't need it. But you're going to get it anyway. The Kevin Cheon Show. Here's Kevin. Today's show presented by Window Nation. If you've noticed your energy costs are on the rise, you're right. In D.C., they're up 25% compared to last year. And Window Nation wants to help you out. They want to lower your energy bills, give you new windows, and have you pay nothing for the first two years. Right now, they're offering two free windows with every time. to you buy with no money down, no payments, and zero percent financing for 24 months. So for two years, new windows, you'll pay nothing. And when you start paying in 2025, you'll be paying half price. Call them at 86690 Nation. Go online at windownation.com. Mention my name, Kevin Sheen. You'll get a free estimate so there's nothing to risk. 86690 Nation or windownation.com. So I mentioned on Friday, that I'm away for a few days, I recorded two interviews on Thursday, the first of which you

heard on Friday. If you didn't listen to it, Walt Williams was great. Yeah, we talked some Maryland basketball, but we really talked about Walt Williams. He's a legendary basketball figure in this town and certainly a major figure in the history of Maryland basketball. So we talked a lot about the time he spent at Maryland, his ACC records, including the incredible eight-game streak of 30 plus point games. Incredible. His decision to stay at Maryland when the program was hit with major probation. If you miss that, go back and listen to the Friday show with Walt Williams. The recorded interview from Thursday that I'm airing today is with Pat Behan. Pat is the head basketball coach over at St. John's. St. John's a part of the Washington Catholic Athletic

conference, the WCAC, which I've referenced and talked about many times over the years on this show and on the radio show as well. It has been and is still today the best boys high school basketball conference in the country. There's no debate about that. Dematha has led the way for 50 plus years now. Gonzaga, St. John's, Paul the 6th, O'Connell, Carroll, good counsel. It's a hell of a football conference as well. You go back in the day, we can talk about Mackin and Jojo Hunter and Austin Carr before him. It's just produced as many college basketball players and future pro players as any high school league in the country and the battles and the rivalries and the traditions of all of the schools in the league have made for quite the show for many of us who are DC natives and basketball

fans for a long period of time. And last, last, Monday night, and I talked about this on the show last week, St. John's beat Paul the 6th in the boys' basketball final. By the way, the St. John's girls also beat Paul the sixth in the girls final. But the matchup between St. John's and PVI last Monday night was a matchup of the number three team in the country, PVI, and the number 11 team in the country, St. John's. Okay, in the country, not the area. PVI was the number one team in the area. St. Johns, I think, was number two or number three. St. John's pulled off the win in what was described to me as an epic 65 to 63 final.

It was the first loss of the year for Paul the 6th. But St. Johns is this year's WCAC Boys Basketball Champion. I went to the semifinal games the night before. They were incredible. Paul the 6th beat Dematha, 72 to 70. and then it was St. Johns over Gonzaga by a point in the second semifinal. I mean, two incredible games. But Pat Behan joined me on Thursday.

We recorded an interview. And the reason for having Pat on is much less about him being a champion and more about how he's become a champion in 2023. He was diagnosed a year ago, roughly, with ALS, Liu Garrig's disease. So as he's been coaching his team over the last year into a title last week, he's been battling a disease without a cure. So I had him on Thursday. You're going to hear my conversation with him coming up next. And we will get to that right after these words from a few of our sponsors. Joining me right now on the podcast is Pat Behan, the head coach at St. John's.

First of all, congratulations. That was an incredible weekend for you last weekend. I was there for the Gonzaga game. I was not there on Monday night, but everybody that discussed it with me said it was an unbelievable game. What was it like to go through the journey you've been through? but basketball-wise win a title here with St. John's beating a team that had not lost, coach, all year long. Yeah, thanks for having me, Kevin, and the game was incredibly exciting for everybody there.

And, you know, he would be on the sidelines, just taking it in was quite the scene. And then afterwards, getting a victory and the rush of emotions and, you know, they're playing one-shining moment. As a kid, you know, you're growing up, and you watch that as the final game, championship game, the tournament ends. I went to Bucknell, never, unfortunately, didn't make the tournament, you know, not having coached at the division one level. You know, I haven't had that experience, either coach or you're playing in it,

and hearing that was kind of like a cool, upsetting way to, you know, kind of keep off the celebration of the tight. You've coached in that league for a while because you were at St. John's as an assistant, and then I think you went to Iyrton. You grew up in the area as well. You played basketball at Bucknell, played professionally overseas. But is there anything like WCAC basketball from the time that the conference schedule starts through the actual playoffs that ended Monday night?

I mean, there's nothing like it, is there, in terms of competition. The best regular season is the best $5 ticket in town in the playoffs for $10. best in town. So the championship, between the championship and two semifinal game, it was a combined five points for the victory. So, yep, it's just been a great year. You know, today we've got a little bit to play, but winning the league has always been a dream. And I think anybody can coach the league that's, that's where it starts. You know, you want to win WKC, and we had a very strong range of season and fortunately, it was a lot of the team. So tell me real quickly.

So tell me real quickly, I'm a diehard Maryland guy, a Maryland alum. How good is Deshaun Harris-Smith going to be for the Terps? That will be phenomenal. He's a great player, but his level of toughness and his will to win and his leadership that I think take him to a level over some of the players that are also really good. But don't necessarily have that same grit that he has. And I think that will fit in perfectly with Willer style and the way they're trying to do things in college part now. Man, you guys had some

talent, some really good players too. Dequine Davis, he's something else. He had the game winner. I love the big kid Freeman. My favorite player, though, at least in that semi-final game, I loved the kid Mac. I think he's the one going to Harvard.

I would assume, tell me that he probably could have gone and played almost anywhere, right? Yeah, he started getting some some mid-high days or stuff. But Harvard and Coach Cameron did a great job really building that relationship early on, made up a priority.

And, yeah, it's tough to pass that opportunity down. But he's a kid that went to the program all four years with a backup point guard as a freshman. He actually tore his ACL this summer of going into his sophomore year at the COVID season. So we really rehabbed work to get better. Came back as a junior was the first team all league last year. He was one. Him and Sean Harris Smith was the only two players this year to make first team back to back years. So incredible leader, an incredible young man, and we'll definitely miss him after this year.

I'm glad we still got a little bit of time left. Well, Harvard's getting a great player, and it's not a bad life choice either for Mr. Mack. It'll work out, I'm sure, pretty well. So let's get to you. For those that don't know, coach, was diagnosed roughly a year ago with ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease. And he has been fighting that for the last year. And, you know, I want to start off by just asking you about when you were diagnosed,

how you were diagnosed, and kind of take me back to that, you know, time. I guess it was roughly a year ago. So my father was actually diagnosed. This was 2020. Our season just ended, and he wasn't able to make as many games toward the end of the year. He was having a lot of shoulder pain and fatigue and walking

with the game, but was not diagnosed at that point. That one school was let out because of COVID. I went out to visit, and I saw firsthand how bad he was doing, how much he was struggling and really needed assistance in help. Unfortunately, he wasn't diagnosed until he was in the hospital. and he passed away in April of 2020 with ALS.

So, you know, I saw what it did. Despite their being history in my family, it was never really something that was talked about a ton. And it just kind of hit right there. And then my mom was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer just a few months later and passed this past fall. in the midst of her battle I was diagnosed and I started feeling some weakness

in early March of 22 and went it was during the intervie tournament made the first doctor's appointment so I was an engineer I was afraid it was more considering the family history You were afraid it was more when you

when you first you know Yeah, okay Yeah I got I went to I was to have a general doctor and they weren't prepared or ready to say what it was. They just recommended that I got some nerve testing done, and that's when I found out in April. And it was diagnosed with it.

It was pretty much fight or flight at that point. You know, obviously it was sad, a lot of tears. You know, it was very, very difficult, as anyone would imagine. You don't really know how to respond or something like that. until it actually hits you. And you have to start making decisions and figure out how to, okay, get with the best doctors, what do I need to do? Because ultimately at that point, you know you have it, you know there's no cure.

You have to figure out the best thing to do to increase your chances of survival and life. And it's not something that I think anyone can be prepared for. I read something, Coach, where 10 people in your family, aunts, uncles, obviously you mentioned your father, your grandmother, have all had and passed away from ALS. Is that what it is? It's 10? Yeah, yeah.

My dad, his mom passed when he was younger, and decided a family for part reason of because of the ALS, just a very small family where I didn't have no turn of relations with his side of family because of that. I think he had tough up brain He grew up in Syracuse and, you know, mom passed when he was young. You know, father kind of abandoned him

at an early age. It was just him and brothers and sisters. You know, he's got siblings that now have passed because of ALS. So he's been through a lot and I think he was just proud to have a family with myself, my sister, I live in California right now.

And, you know, I'm married to my mom for many, many years. And he was just proud of having a great life with his family. And that's what he wanted. And he didn't really bring up on the past and necessarily talk about those things. And I know now there's ways to find out

maybe you have the traits to potentially have ALS. But, you know, I think he just wanted to live his life the best you could and you lived a great life. Unfortunately, you know, was charged with this and, you know, the past quickly after.

But, yeah, definitely is ramp of the family. And, you know, it's just a, it's just a thing. You're such a young man. You're 34 or 35 years old, correct? Yeah, 35, 10, 35, and October. You've got, you know, players that are basically half your age. What was it like?

Do you remember when you told them and what their reaction was? Yeah, we did a Zoom. So I coached. in June they didn't know I had really progressed that much at the time but as I started feeling

some more progression and knew potentially what was coming in the school year I didn't want to leave in the dark I also knew that with this disease comes a ton of financial burden

and without making it public, it would be very hard to raise awareness, raise money to help battle this. So, I had to Zoom with the team, players, coaches, parents,

and I was emotional. And I don't know, you know, how much they knew when I said it. I'm sure that they did a lot of Googling. I'm sure even with the parents, some maybe knew a little bit more, but it's not the most commonly talked about disease. So

that was a hard moment, but I felt a sense of relief once I did it. So I didn't feel like I was holding on or something. And how have they been with you over the last now since June through an entire season? They've been great. I mean, I made it clear day one, we have our meeting every year for their school and talk about expectations, you know, how we're going to do things with the program. I made it clear that, you know, I was coaching and I didn't want anyone to feel a certain way and that we wanted to do everything the way it's supposed to be done.

So, I just came to work every day, just like coaches did, players, work hard, played hard. But they're aware, you know, I might need help picking something up or if I had to sit as a year we're on in practice a few times, you know, they wouldn't think twice about it where in the past I'd never sat in a practice, you know, always standing and moving. I'm talking. So I think they just kind of adapted to some of the small changes. I think the proof was in the footing in terms of just how hard they played and how connected they were to where, you know, I think to an extent, as much as an extent as you can't get it,

as they did. I read the Adam Kilgore story in the Washington Post about you from over the summer, and you were friends with, or your friends with Pete Thammell, who is an ESPN College reporter. I think I've had Pete on the show before, actually. And he introduced you to a woman by the name of Nancy. I don't know if it's Freights or Freighties, however it's pronounced at Boston.

Fradies at Boston College. Tell everybody who she is and what she told you. Yeah, so when I was diagnosed, Pete Dan was one of the first people who knew. And he got me in touch with Frady. family and I had a Zoom call with with Nancy and she was very very kind but also you could just feel the pit bull in her to want to help people with this diagnosis to want to find a cure for this and first on Pete Brady's was diagnosed with ALS went to Boston College played baseball.

They started the Ice Bucket Challenge to raise awareness and it really took off on social media went viral. They raised millions and millions of dollars and she is

a warrior in the ALS community and Pete unfortunately passed but they continued their march on to try to help everybody involved. She just told me you can let the disease beat you or you can fight back

and that kind of led to, you know, our charity or the fundraising stuff that we've done, punchback for Pat, being strong, being the name of it. So just very generous with her time and caring with her words and told, you know, expressed that she thinks I should coach. That's what I love to do. I should coach. And, you know, just to open up your heart, open up your arms. for the love that will be there

and I think that's kind of where we are right now. You know, that was the quote I read. Open up your heart and open up your arms for all the love that is going to come to you. I would imagine you've had a lot of that and probably have heard from a lot of people that you didn't expect to hear from. A lot of people have certainly reached out

from the beginning. When text, messages, you know, phone calls, just a lot of support that makes, It's humbling. I think that as a coach, it's a competitor, you go up against a lot of these schools

and teams and, you know, you think you all hate each other, but that one comes out to it, you know, the genuine side of us of the human,

human nature comes out. So, you know, playing other teams, the schools wearing a shirt and expressing messages and, you know,

just people reaching out all through the years. It's definitely humbling. at times overwhelming, but certainly humbling. So take us through a day with you, because I imagine it's not easy. Maybe go back to the championship game on Monday. You had played the night semi-final game against Gonzaga on Sunday night,

and then you've got a championship game on Monday night that you're coaching, but I'm sure there's a lot of other things that you've got on the docket as well. Take us through that day. on Monday. So I have physical therapy three days a week, Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Generally sleep in until about that time.

And so it was around noon. When I got off in physical therapy, I got a smoothie, you know, take some medicine, about 10 pills to start the day. And then, you know, try to rev up the engine and went over to the school with, you know, with the guys. And then we went to the Scalcum.

They got on the bus. So I drove separate and now I've got a ride over. The ball was six shortly after. So because I need to rest, I generally try to kind of please through the morning. I'm certainly not teaching at school this year. So once I wake up, the wheels kind of start getting in motion. I tend to have more energy at night. So you can think it was an 8 o'clock tip.

What do you go through during the game? I mean, I was there Sunday night, and I was watching the game primarily. not focused on you, no offense. But, you know, I noticed a couple of times you would have to lean up against the scores table. But that was really all I noticed. What's the physical challenge of getting through a game? Energy, because I've had a deterioration and muscle strength and a lot of my body parts, I get tired quicker or don't have that same energy as I used to.

So walking from the bench to the locker room to the hallway is going to take me probably about twice as long and I'm doing no speedwalking anymore. My voice has still been solid, but it's just an energy thing. I drink a ton of water I always have. You know, having the bottle there, I can't lift it because I'm not able to elevate my arm.

So usually, you know, one of our coaches, Coach O'Connor, he's sitting right in, you know, right in, man, sit next to me. I'll say water, he'll turn over there. they'll hold it up so I can just drink it without having to grab it or struggle. Things like that. You know, I think that's the thing is people watch and they don't, you know, they see me coaching and that's fine.

You're all in on that. But outside of that, there's just a ton of, you know, physical difficulties that make the day-to-day stuff, you know, pretty sexy. When the game starts other than what you just described mentally, are you just into the competition and what your job is? 100%. And I wouldn't have coached this year if I felt otherwise or if that changed. Once we're in the arena or today we've got

practice, this really is nothing about me or nothing about how I'm feeling because I'm capable of coach, so we're going to coach, we're going to play, and we're going to cheat everything as much as normal as we can. So, Pat, where are we with ALS?

in 2023, specifically, you know, drugs and prognosis. Do you have access to medications that maybe your father didn't have? Or maybe somebody your age that was fighting it three, four years ago didn't have. Where are we today with ALS? So there's still no cure, but yes, there has been advancement in terms of what has an FTA approved. and more money has gone into the research. So there's definitely been advancement in terms of the drugs, and the one that I'm on is specific to the gene that I have.

So there's a bunch of different genes and certain tests and treatments. I target that gene. So, for example, what I'm on is called a person. I go to Boston once a month, or at the beginning I was gone three times a month, but that is only recommended or used essentially for people who have SOD1, which is the gene that I have. You have different advancements, but it's still a long way to go.

The goal is to have these current drugs and medicines that I'm on to really prolong things and to stabilize things as much as possible in hopes that something better comes along. Does being younger, does, Does being younger put you at an advantage versus your father obviously was diagnosed and then passed very quickly? Does age mean a lot in fighting AOS? It may mean something in terms of like where you are physically what your baseline of strength is to begin with. But no, it does not really make a difference. All right. Tell everybody, I,

I certainly read about and saw the other night the party at Pats on March 18th, which is a big event, which, by the way, includes Matt Kirchen, Tim Kirchon's brother, who is also battling ALS as well. What can people do to participate and help out in this cause? Yeah, so I said that was the first thing to do would be to visit, being strong.com right there is going to kind of outline everything we talked about today and then some and then

ways to donate as well as buy merchandise and also tickets for the party and there should be a night of celebration, camaraderie I know there's a ton of tables already reserved

and accounted for so I'm expecting it to be a big crowd, a crowd and even though the NCAA tournament. So we'll make sure we have a big screen or two. Weiled in there. That was smart right there. That made a fun night. Dude, I wouldn't have gone on it.

Yeah, because it'll be the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. So it'll be that Saturday of the round of 32. And so trust me, Pat understands. they're going to be screens in the room. You'll be able to participate, have fun, have a few cocktails, watch some games, and hang out with some fun people for a great cause. Exactly. Yeah.

There's a lot of basketball people there, so I would want to make sure everyone's happy. Who's your team? Well, growing up, my dad is from Syracuse. I love sports writing. I love talking about sports, so Syracuse was kind of my school growing up in terms of basketball, you know, thinking I was making podcasts journalism. End up majoring in English and writing a buck now.

But went the coaching route. Right now, I mean, I'm kind of biased to a few schools just because of, you know, my relationship with them. And actually, they played last night, Ohio State. Coach Chris Holpman and assistant Mike Nettie and those guys really just treated me well. I went to call them a couple times in the fall. Nice.

He mentioned you last night. Did you hear that? He mentioned you after the game, yeah. Yeah, yeah, we were texting afterwards too. And actually before the NCOB tournament, excuse me, before the WC tournament, I talked to those guys, Coach Nettie,

and, you know, we had, this was before we played our first game against, against the council. And he just talked about winning a tournament like that, three games, three days against good teams is, you know, the tougher team, the one who wants it more. Obviously, you know,

everybody you play is going to be tough and won it, but like you can try to keep sending that message to your guys. You know, hey, just want more to the tougher team because, you know, we play each other, everybody knows, you know, personnel and plays, all that stuff. Right. So I thought we did a good job with that. It feels kind of cool

to take that message and use it and our relationship that has been especially this year. So Ohio State, in Maryland, I coached to Muriel Young when I was at Rikin, and unfortunately, rules in the league said he couldn't come with me to St. John. So he ended up at the Mata. I know now everybody kind of looked at it as dematha to Maryland, but, you know, me and him know the real deal is the fact of where it all started.

So I love watching Jemir play. Coach Willard is actually doing a coaching clinic in the spring. We're all proceeds being strong. So, you know, those guys, Coach Willard, David Cox. So those two right now, certainly rooting for it for reasons bigger than basketball. Had no idea that you coached Jemir Young at Reichen. What a year he's had for Kevin Willard in College Park. Look, prayer is your way from everybody, I'm sure, that's listening.

Can't wait to see you next year on the sidelines defending that WCAC. title for St. John's. We wish you the best. Take care of yourself. Thanks so much for doing this, coach. I appreciate it, Kevin. Thanks for having me on. Behandstrong.com for all the ways that you can donate and help punch back for Pat in his fight against ALS, including that party on March 18th, which Tim Kirchen will be hosting as well at St. John's from 6 to 10 p.m. You can find out more about that event at B-Handstrong.com as well. And also, you can follow Coach Behan on Twitter at Coach Behan, B-H-A-N-S-J-C, and you'll find some great pictures, him with his team following the championship win over PVI.

week. All right. That's it for the day. I will be back tomorrow with Tommy.