Brad Stevens was a trending topic on Twitter on Monday. Why? Because Indiana University fired it’s mens basketball head coach, Archie Miller.
Whenever Indiana has had a job opening or even rumors of an opening, Stevens’ name was and continues to be the first name brought up by fans, talk show hosts, former players and even Dick Vitale.
In the state of Indiana, he’s known by just Brad.
People still talk about those Butler teams and the what-if with then-Bulldog forward Gordon Hayward’s missed half court bank shot in the 2010 NCAA Championship game vs Duke. He’s loved in the state and has been the white whale of Hoosiers fans for nearly a decade.
Wikipedia even described Brad Stevens as the next Hoosiers head coach.
So why would Brad Stevens leave the Boston Celtics for Bloomington, Indiana? Here’s why it’s not crazy:
Indiana is home
Stevens grew up in Zionsville, Indiana, just outside of Indianapolis and about 60 miles northeast of Bloomington. His father, Mark, was a redshirt freshman on the 1967 Hoosiers football team that went to the Rose Bowl.
As a child, Brad and his father would often make the trek down to Bloomington to watch the Hoosiers then led by legendary coach Bob Knight.
"Basketball was always my first love," Stevens said to the Indianapolis Star. "It's hard not to be when you're a kid growing up in Indiana in the '80s and '90s, because basketball in this state was pretty darn good at that time."
The Hoosiers haven’t gotten back to the glory days of when Stevens saw them perennially in the top 10 of the rankings and making deep runs into March.
Back in 2017, the Celtics coach was asked about Indiana yet again looking for a coach and his name often being connected to the search: “I think it’s all flattering, but it’s certainly flattering to ever be considered, because there aren’t that many jobs out there,” he said. “But at the same time, I’m really flattered to be here and thankful to be here.”
Indiana is a top 15 college basketball job. It may be the only job in the game where Brad would seriously consider leaving the NBA. He could dominate the state in recruiting, win national championships and be the most popular person in the state. That’s not hyperbole.
To be fair, the life of a college coach vs NBA is wildly different. College coaches are bombarded with nonstop recruiting, player development, scouting, travel and always being the face of a university.
NBA door will remain open if Brad leaves
While the struggles of the Celtics this season drove the conversation in Boston and New England, the big picture is one of success with Stevens. Last season was the only one, in my opinion, where Boston underachieved considering how the playoffs played out. Brad’s teams have often outperformed expectations.
If Stevens took a job this offseason or next, no one would consider his time in the NBA a failure. If fact, it would be a success.
If he failed for whatever reason at Indiana, 20 NBA teams would be lining up for the chance to hire him. It would be a similar case if Danny Ainge decided to make a change.
Timing
LeBron James is still in the league and dominating as usual. There are five teams including the Lakers who can win the NBA championship this year. The Boston Celtics are not one of them. That’s not a shocking statement for you to read.
But I don’t believe the Celtics title window is open for quite awhile. As long as the Brooklyn Nets have Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden, Boston has no chance. That group is on the books to be together for another season and likely two more (if Harden and Durant exercise their player options).
Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown-Kemba Walker is not a title winning trio. I honestly don’t believe they can win a title with Kemba and his contract on the books through 2022-23.
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I am a Hoosier, worked for the men’s team as a student manager and would love to have Stevens as the next head coach at Indiana.
While the chances of this happening are slim, I believe it would be foolish to close the door on this. You think it’s crazy. Maybe only Hoosiers can relate.
You can’t put a price on going home and building your dream program.