His eyes and mind have been spared by ALS. Pat Behan uses them to coach basketball at Bucknell.

WASHINGTON — When Pat Behan watches a Bucknell basketball game, his wife, Nataly, likes to look at his eyes. She can still see the intensity. They dart from his TV to his computer, to his TV, to his computer, as he dictates observations.

On a recent Saturday, Bucknell was playing American University, in an arena two miles away. Behan was stretched out on his bed. A feeding tube was in his stomach, and two breathing tubes were in his throat.

An oxygen concentrator hummed in the background. A nearby monitor kept track of his pulse, beeping and flashing whenever his levels dropped below 90.

Five people (and one dog) were crammed inside this tiny D.C. apartment. Their mission: to keep Pat Behan alive. In May of 2022, he was diagnosed with ALS at age 34. Since then, he has lost control of his muscles. He cannot move his hands or feet. He cannot smile or frown.

But his eyes and his mind have been spared, so he uses them. To coach.

Behan has worked for Bucknell since late November, when he was named special adviser to head coach John Griffin III. The two men have been friends for nearly 20 years, but Behan’s role with the team is anything but charity.

His gaze shifted toward the computer. A few seconds later, a monotone voice converted his words from written to spoken:

“I wouldn’t do this if it was symbolic.”

He also wouldn’t do it if Griffin didn’t have big expectations. Bucknell is 8-12, but it’s a team with talent, and Behan, a well-respected former high school basketball coach, knows how to win. So, he sends notes to Griffin before, after, and in between games, with insights on upcoming opponents.

Griffin scribbles them onto his whiteboard, in a spot he now calls “Behan’s Corner.”

On Nov. 27, the message was schematic.

“[Maryland] d zone is all junk. No principles. Just uses to confuse. It morphs into man, no rhyme or reason.”

On Jan. 2, before Bucknell’s game against Lehigh, the message was a theme.

“Win the huddle battle.”

Against American, the message was a combination of both: “Beat them in their own gym in toughness,” and “Establish Noah.”

“Noah” is Noah Williamson, the team’s 7-foot center. He would go on to score 23 points in an otherwise lackluster 68-58 loss to the Eagles. From his bed, the coach dictated another message.

“Our scoring droughts in [the] second half bit us,” he explained. “We didn’t shoot it well from 3. Had some possessions in paint [when] we didn’t score or turned it over. Effort was there but American just made more shots as game went on.”

Behan’s monitor began to flash red. A nurse checked his levels, and Nataly covered him with a plaid blanket. It was a false alarm. He searched for YouTube TV, and then ESPN, which was broadcasting Florida-Arkansas at 7 p.m. He needed a break.

Griffin met Behan during his official visit to Bucknell in 2005. He was a sophomore, and Behan was in high school, a highly-touted power forward who possessed height (6-foot-8) and shooting skill.

Despite his talent, Behan showed no arrogance. He arrived at Bucknell in the fall of 2006 ready to work. The freshman scrapped his way through pickup games, and would often see Griffin in the gym.

Even in the offseason, when most players would take a break, Behan and Griffin remained on campus, training. They’d use a shooting machine, or rebound for each other, or find a coach to lead them through a good workout.

“Disturbingly competitive” is how Griffin put it. Both players desperately wanted to win, and were willing to do whatever it took.

The teammates became roommates in 2007. They’d watch movies at night, and eat dinner together in the cafeteria. Sometimes they’d argue. Griffin, an alumnus of St. Joseph’s Prep, is an Eagles fan from Narberth. Behan is a Commanders fan from Leesburg, Va.

“[The Eagles] hadn’t won a Super Bowl yet,” Griffin said. “He reminded me of that every time we came close.”

They were at two different stages of their careers, but that didn’t matter. Griffin would talk about the sense of urgency he felt, as a senior who wanted to play professional basketball, and Behan would listen without judgment.

If anything, he felt a sense of urgency, too.

“I wanted to win, like Pat wanted to win,” Griffin said. “And that’s a big reason he’s on our staff now. As much as he’s passionate about basketball, he’s a winner at heart. That’s what drives him. He hates losing as much as I hate losing.”

Griffin, 39, played professionally in Europe after graduating. He went to some cold-weather countries — Germany, Slovakia — but didn’t have a winter jacket. Behan left his behind in their apartment, so Griffin took it with him after graduation.

“It’s made for a guy who was 6-foot-8, so it was like a parka for me,” said Griffin, who is 6-foot-1.

He decided to go into coaching in 2012, following in the footsteps of his father, John Griffin II, who was the men’s head basketball coach at Siena and St. Joe’s in the 1980s and 90s.

He’d bring John, and his younger brother, Matt, to rec centers all over Northeast and North Philadelphia, so they could train with the best coaches in the area: John Hartnett, Fred Douglas, Claude Gross.

In the 1970s, Speedy Morris coached the elder Griffin at Roman Catholic High School. Forty years later, Morris coached Matt and John at the Prep. Under Morris, the team won back-to-back Catholic League championships in 2003 and 2004.

Behan came from a similar athletic background. He also played Catholic high school basketball growing up, at Notre Dame Academy in Virginia. His father, Jeremiah, coached him.

“He was a good motivator and role model, helping me through the highs and lows,” Behan dictated through his computer. “My dad was my biggest supporter.”

After a brief stint playing professionally in Gotha, Germany, Behan was hired as an assistant coach at Loudoun County High School in Virginia. He moved on to St. Mary’s College in 2011, and to then St. John’s College High School in Washington in 2012, where he was mentored by head coach Sean McAloon, who now coaches at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

Behan earned his first head coaching job in 2014 at St. Mary’s Ryken High School in Leonardtown, Md. He was unproven but quickly developed a reputation for recruiting top players.

Ryken is located about 60 miles away from Washington, D.C., and had fewer resources, but his teams competed with some of the best in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC).

Griffin was working as an assistant for Rider University at the time, and would ask Behan about local players.

“The WCAC is considered one of the best high school basketball areas in the country,” Griffin said. “He saw so much basketball that he kind of became my connection to that. And it stayed that way for a while.”

When Behan returned to St. John’s as head coach in 2017, their conversations shifted to leadership, messaging, and schemes. Taking over for McAloon, who was widely seen as one of the best coaches in the city, wouldn’t be easy, but Behan managed it seamlessly.

This was due to both his coaching style and his commitment.

“High school basketball is not typically considered a full-time job, even though nowadays it’s become that,” Griffin said. “And Pat was ahead of that curve. He was dedicated full-time to his players’ growth in the offseason.

“He would make sure there was a strength plan in place, a coaching staff in place, that would help foster their development. He built this brand as a coach who could help players achieve their dreams of playing Division I basketball.”

Behan coached St. John’s to an 89-46 record over his first four seasons. It seemed as if his career was about to take off. But in February of 2022, he began to notice that his hands and arms felt weak. Soon after that, he realized he could no longer do push-ups.

Nataly suggested that it was stress related — the accumulation of a busy season.

Behan was worried it was something else.

“I’m scared this is what my dad had,” he told her.

Jeremiah Behan died of ALS in 2020. Pat was aware that his family had a history of the disease, but it was never discussed at length when he was young. It wasn’t until May of 2022, when he was diagnosed himself, that he learned that nine of his relatives had developed ALS before him.

The ALS Association says 90% of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis cases are diagnosed as sporadic, but 10% are diagnosed as familial, meaning that the disease can be passed genetically. It is a neurological disorder that leads to the degeneration of nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain. ALS does not affect thinking, seeing, or hearing, according to Johns Hopkins University.

There is still no cure for the disease.

“His first question was, ‘Are you sure?’” Nataly said. “His second question was, ‘Will I be able to coach?’”

Behan’s neurologist told him that he could continue coaching for as long as his body would allow him to. So, he returned to St. John’s for his fifth and final season in 2022-23, knowing full well that his time was running short.

His hands and arms were the first to go. Nataly helped him get dressed in the morning. He couldn’t hold a clipboard on his own, so his assistant coach, Pat O’Connor, drew plays. O’Connor would also lift up a water bottle, so Behan could hydrate during games.

By the end of the regular season — a 32-4 campaign — Behan was exhausted. The Cadets advanced to the WCAC final, where they faced undefeated St. Paul VI Catholic.

The score was tied at 63 with 32 seconds left. Behan watched the clock dwindle. He decided not to call a timeout, instead directing his junior guard, Daquon Davis, to drive toward the basket.

Davis scored on a layup, and the Cadets won, 65-63. Behan’s players doused him with water in the locker room.

“He got it to the finish line,” Griffin said. “Every day in those last six weeks was a marathon for him. His body was beaten like a prize fighter. That’s how he felt.”

Behan’s illness soon intensified. In June 2023, he contracted pneumonia. Because of the high levels of carbon dioxide in his blood, he started to feel drowsy and confused, and eventually lost consciousness. Doctors inserted a tube through his mouth to keep his airwaves open and assist him with breathing. He was in the hospital for two weeks.

That summer, Griffin visited Behan’s apartment. He was in the process of transitioning to an eye-tracking computer full-time and needed to make sure it was positioned correctly. It had to meet his pupils at the right angle, so he could use it to communicate.

The setup took two hours.

“That, alone, was emotionally taxing,” Griffin said. “I just set up a computer for this young, vibrant, passionate person, so he can speak. Because he doesn’t have the ability to speak with his voice.”

There was physical and emotional stress, but also financial. Behan needed 24/7 care. Insurance companies would cover the cost of medical equipment, prescriptions, and doctor’s appointments, but not caretakers — and Behan required two at a time.

The cost of his care ranged between $10,000 and $15,000 per week for several months. Nataly became a full-time caregiver for Behan last fall to save money, and her family stepped in to help. But the long-term cost of caregiving was not going to be sustainable.

Most ALS organizations fund research, but they do not cover these expenses. The Behans were left to figure it out on their own. They started a GoFundMe.

“ALS patients all know this,” she said, “which is why they all fundraise.”

Behan stepped down from St. John’s in August of 2023. It was not an easy transition. He knew he had physical limitations, but his mind was just as sharp.

“I missed it a lot,” he said. “Everything. Being with the group, coaches, players. Competing.”

He began to tune in to Bucknell games. Behan would watch the Bison like he’d watch tape, jotting down thoughts on his computer.

“Grinder type of game,” he texted Griffin before Bucknell’s matchup against Southern Indiana on Nov. 7. “Keep rebounding. Keep the grit. I like the early handoffs downhill.”

A few days later, before Bucknell’s Nov. 9 game against Kentucky, Griffin received another message.

“Mix it up,” Behan said. “See how they guard it and control possessions, forcing them to make decisions. No hero steals.”

When Griffin was hired to serve as Bucknell’s head coach in March of 2023, he wanted Behan to be involved in some capacity. He knew his old friend had always aspired to coach Division I basketball, and had the talent and drive to do it.

By the fall of 2024, Griffin decided the time was right. Behan was dealing with fewer emergencies. He was sending texts to Griffin every other day. It was clear he was watching the team closely. So, Griffin called Nataly and Pat, and asked if they’d be open to Behan joining the coaching staff in a unique role.

Behan said yes — with one caveat.

“He was not looking for a pity party,” Griffin said. “And despite his challenges, he wanted to make sure this was real to me. And to us, to our program. He didn’t want to do it where it was just this under-the-table, unofficial deal.

“If he was going to do it, he wasn’t going to half-ass it.”

“These aren’t pieces of advice that we think is fluff. We really do rely on them.”

Bucknell published a press release announcing Behan’s hiring. They put out a graphic on social media and gave him a title — special adviser to the head coach. It was as real as could be.

“I was thinking, ‘This guy has so much value,’” Griffin said. “When he sent me those texts, they were so intentional. I felt like he was right next to me. I felt like he was going to walk on to the court with me.

“I was like, maybe there’s a way to give Pat his passion back. A way he can do it at his own pace. No strings attached. Just a guy who has tremendous knowledge, an unbelievable win-loss record, and a commitment to helping our team.”

Behan and Griffin have a goal: to win the Patriot League, and make the NCAA Tournament. Bucknell has done this only eight times in its 130-season history. The team’s last tournament berth came in 2018, when it lost to Michigan State in the first round.

It’s a tall task. But if anyone can do it, it is two coaches who hate to lose more than they love to win.

Behan still texts with Griffin almost every day, and has gradually formed a connection with the team’s players — none of whom has met the coach in person or communicated with him directly.

Quin Berger, a 6-2 guard from Malvern, first heard about Behan from his father, Seth, who coaches basketball at Westtown School.

“In the coaching world, Pat Behan is very well-known,” Berger said.

The guard was “shocked” to learn that Behan would be joining their team. But he’s glad he did — and has already learned a lot.

Berger pointed to Bucknell’s game against Syracuse last month as an example.

“We talked about the importance of offensive discipline,” Berger said. “Getting the best shot, limiting turnovers.

“These aren’t pieces of advice that we think is fluff. We really do rely on them.”

Pip Ajayi, a 6-7 forward from Calgary, Alberta, has benefited from Behan’s guidance on how he should approach nonconference games.

“He told us bigs to be strong,” Ajayi said. “To come at it with a sense of physicality. And I think that’s helpful. Sometimes, we get carried away by whoever we’re playing.”

There is still work to be done. Behan sees offensive consistency as the biggest opportunity for improvement. The Bison are shooting only 32% from three and 65% from the free-throw line. There have been a handful of games in which they started with a lead, only to lose it by the end.

But Behan will continue to grind from the confines of his D.C. apartment. These are the problems he loves to solve. The ones that can change the life of a player and a program. They’re changing his life, too. They give him something he didn’t have for a while.

He paused, as his eyes found the keyboard.

“More meaning. Purpose.”