Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens heard his name mentioned as a potential candidate for a coach position at Indiana University. Stevens was born and raised in Indiana, played ball at college in DePauw and trained at Butler – two schools in the state, so there are certainly links there. But while Stevens appreciates the support he has in his home state, he made it clear that he has no plans to leave his current position in the Celtics.
“It means a lot,” said Stevens, via ESPN. “It means a lot. I know that … listen, I have a lot of friends there. I have a lot of people who are very important to me there. My dad is still there. That means one. I’m not going to act like that, no. As I said today, it’s flattering But I also know that I am the coach of the Celtics and that – it has been an incredible opportunity, an incredible challenge every day for the past eight years and I am extremely grateful for that. “
Indiana sacked coach Archie Miller earlier this month after four less than impressive seasons, and now they are looking for a replacement to take them back to national prominence. The Hoosiers have not won a national championship since 1987 and have not participated in the Final Four since 2002.
“Listen, every job has its challenges,” replied Stevens when asked about the recent series of fights in Indiana. “Every job has its big things. I really don’t want to act like I know. I know – and I said that today – obviously, I have a great affinity for that state and basketball in that state. That place was a big part of what motivated my passion for basketball. In fact, it was the focal point. I don’t know what the challenges are in each place, because you don’t work there. But I know when you’re a kid growing up, basketball means a lot and college programs in state means a ton. And for me growing up, it was certainly UI.
“But you know, hey, I think Archie is a good coach and he did a great job of preparing [current Celtic] Romeo [Langford]. I thought that when Romeo came in, you could say that he was advanced in many ways. I have known Arch for a while, I haven’t talked to him much. I think that in coaching, you always recognize how difficult it is to be good, how difficult it is to win. “
Although Stevens may be flattered to hear his name mentioned as someone that people in his home state would like to see take over in Indiana, he can’t afford to waste a lot of time thinking about it. The Celtics are currently in sixth place in the standings and are in the middle of a fierce battle for positioning the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. Moving forward, they will need an extreme level of focus, and paying attention to distractions – like rumors about Steven’s future – won’t help.