Purdue fans can breathe much easier now. Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens has recently been featured on sports headlines speculating about rumors linking him to Indiana University.
In response to the rumors, Brad Stevens responded:
Stevens says he was trying to be polite in how he addressed this situation the other day, but firmly says he has no plans to leave the Celtics, loves the situation he has on every front and isn't thinking about taking the job. "I'm not a kid anymore. I'm a 44-year-old Masshole." https://t.co/3mtDCwebBp
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) March 19, 2021
Non-Hoosier basketball fans remember Brad Stevens as the coach that led Butler University, also in Indiana, to two straight national championship games, falling to two historic squads from Duke and then the Kemba Walker-led UConn Huskies. These appearances cemented Stevens' name as a head coach, after which he was hired by the Boston Celtics after the departure of Doc Rivers.
Stevens' apparent brilliance has continued through his NBA career thus far. Boston is poised to make its seventh straight playoff appearance, and has only missed the postseason once since Brad Stevens took over (his first year with the team).
Butler University fans were also given a treat a few years back when Brad Stevens was able to successfully reunite with Butler alum and March Madness legend Gordon Hayward in Boston, before Hayward left for the Charlotte Hornets.
Indiana University, meanwhile, is in the middle of a multi-year drought of March Madness bids, and missed both the NCAA and NIT tournaments this season after going 12-15, losing six in a row to end the season. After recently parting ways with head coach Archie Miller, the Hoosiers have apparently been aggressively trying to lure Brad Stevens back onto the college circuit. His initial response was just as curt:
Brad Stevens on whether he is considering the Indiana job:
“I am not.”
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 19, 2021
Of course, it's hard not to see why Brad Stevens doesn't want to go back to his roots, at least not just yet. The Celtics are set to make their seventh straight playoff appearance, and are flush with a pseudo big three of stars in Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kemba Walker.
Danny Ainge has proven to be a brilliant GM, Brad Stevens is solidly placed to lead one of the NBA's oldest and most prestigious franchises for the next few years, and he gets paid substantially more than if he were to go back. Throw in his history with Butler University, and it's clear to see why the Indiana Hoosiers hold relatively little appeal for him.
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