For years, Indiana basketball fans have tried to post Brad Stevens taking over the Hoosiers into reality. This went to a new level on Monday afternoon when the program fired head coach Archie Miller, but during an appearance on NBC Sports Boston on Tuesday morning, Stevens made it clear he has no intention of heading back to his home state.
Brad Stevens says he has no interest in going back to college to coach Indiana with @ZoandBertrand pic.twitter.com/3JrPzd3VsY
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) March 16, 2021
“That’s nice of them, that really is,” Stevens said when he was asked if he was aware that multiple publications in Indiana want him to come home and take over the Hoosiers. “Listen, that’s home, I get it. I appreciate all the nice sentiments, it certainly doesn’t go unnoticed and it’s certainly very kind.”
Stevens made it a point to call Indiana a “passionate fan base,” then explicitly said he is not going to quit the Celtics to head to Bloomington. Of course, prior to his decision to make the jump to the NBA, Stevens received universal acclaim for his job as the head coach at Butler, leading the program to back-to-back appearances in the national championship game. An Indiana native who went to college at DePauw University, Stevens would, of course, be a home run hire for the program, which has not made the NCAA Tournament since 2016. However, any hopes of Stevens leaving the Celtics mid-season appear to be for naught.
