After leading
St. John's (Washington, D.C.) to a historic season in 2022-23, head coach Pat Behan announced Thursday he would be retiring from the bench at age 35 due to his ongoing battle with ALS.
Behan led the Cadets to the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship in February and first MaxPreps Top 25 finish in school history.
According to a
report by Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post, in the months since the season ended ALS has further deteriorated Behan's muscles and threatened his life. He has lost his voice and all strength in his upper body and can only walk short distances.
Behan fought for his life last month when he was in the intensive care unit after developing an pneumonia, a blood clot in his lungs and severe stomach issues. He required a ventilator to breathe.
The magical ride for St. John's in 2022-23 included a tournament victory at the prestigious Torrey Pines Holiday Classic in San Diego. Behan is shown here accepting the championship trophy from Torrey Pines head coach and tournament organizer John Olive. (Photo: Justin Fine)
Although he is now back home, he still wears a BiPAP mask all day to facilitate breathing daily. He also eats through a surgically implanted feeding tube because he is unable swallow food safely.
His estimated medical care and medication costs between $10,000 and $15,000 per week. Donations to the
Behan Strong campaign have helped him stay afloat financially.
Doctors diagnosed Behan with ALS in May 2022. He informed his players
and their parents he had been diagnosed with the disease prior to last season.
Behan, who played college basketball at Bucknell, compiled a 127-51 record in five seasons at St. John's and coached 26 players who went on to play in college.
Despite battling the every day struggles of ALS, Behan was named WCAC and All-Met coach of the year in 2022-23, leading the Cadets to a 32-4 record and the No. 18 spot in the final MaxPreps Top 25.
Although Behan is stepping away from coaching due to the physical demands, he will remain in an advisory position at St. John's.
