Hoosiers Now

Brad Stevens: 'I Am Not' Leaving Celtics For Indiana Job

Indiana native Brad Stevens has been with the Boston Celtics for eight years, but what he did at Butler, getting to two national championships, has had Hoosiers fans wishing he'd come to coach. He said Tuesday that's not happening.

Tom Brew

Even before Archie Miller was fired on Monday, Indiana fans have been salivating over the thought of Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens coming home to coach the Hoosiers.

But when asked about it Monday, Stevens, who's in his eighth year of coaching the Boston Celtics after a great run at Butler, said emphatically that it's not happening. He's happy right where he is.

Stevens said the talk is flattering, but he's not bailing from one of the best jobs in the NBA to return to college coaching, even at a place like Indiana that means a lot to him. He was on the Zolak & Bertrand radio show on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, and was asked if he was skipping town.  

“I am not,” Stevens said. 

Stevens just signed a contract extension in the offseason, and he has no intention of leaving the team, he said. So Indiana fans can scratch them off their list.

“That’s nice of them. It really is,” he said of all the adulation. “That’s home. I get it. I appreciate all the nice sentiments. It certainly doesn’t go unnoticed, and it’s certainly very kind.”

Many people thought the time would be right for Stevens to leave because the Celtics are struggling a bit this year at 20-19 and he has been getting a bit of criticism from the media and fan base in Boston. 

But Celtics president Danny Ainge has supported him through the tough times, taking the blame for offseason roster issues as opposed to Stevens' coaching abilities.  

Stevens has led Boston to the Eastern Conference finals in three of the past four season. Prior to that, the Zionsville, Ind., native was the head coach at Butler for six years and made two dramatic runs all the way to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament, losing in the championship games in back to back years in 2010 and 2011. He was 166-49 at Butler, a .772 winning percentage.

 Stevens' name came up in 2017 when Tom Crean was fired, but he was firmly entrenched in Boston then, and Indiana hired Miller. Apparently, nothing has changed.

So Indiana's search will continue.

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Tom Brew
TOM BREW

Tom Brew is an award-winning journalist who has worked at some of America's finest newspapers as a reporter and editor, including the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times, the Indianapolis Star and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered college sports in the digital platform for the past six years, including the last five years as publisher of HoosiersNow on the FanNation/Sports Illustrated network.

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