Indiana men’s basketball fans have long clamored for Brad Stevens to become the head coach of their Hoosiers.
When Indiana hired Archie Miller to replace Tom Crean in 2017, Stevens was rumored to be in the running for the job. Then, before Mike Woodson was brought back to Bloomington in 2021, Indiana was reportedly ready to offer Stevens a 7-year, $70 million contract. Again, Stevens remained with the Celtics.
And now — for the third time — Stevens has again said he is not a candidate for the Hoosiers’ head coaching position, according to The Field of 68 co-founder Jeff Goodman’s X post Friday.
“I thoroughly appreciate being a Celtic and love the people I get to work with every day,” Stevens said to The Field of 68 in the post.
Stevens, who currently serves as the president of basketball operations for the Celtics, has extensive ties to the state of Indiana. He was born and raised and Zionsville, Indiana, before he attended DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, to play basketball.
Stevens then served as an assistant coach at Butler University from 2001-07 before taking over as the head coach from 2007-13. The Celtics lured him away from Indianapolis to become their head coach — a position he held from 2013-2021 before he moved into his current role.
Since the Indiana Daily Student’s initial report of Indiana head coach Mike Woodson stepping down at the end of the Hoosiers’ season was confirmed by Indiana Athletics on Feb. 7, Stevens immediately became a popular name amongst fans.
While it’s unclear whether Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson has contacted Stevens about the job, it appears Stevens has now taken his name out of the running.
Dalton James covers Indiana women's basketball and football for the Indiana Daily Student. You can follow him at @DaltonMJames on X and contact him via email at jamesdm@iu.edu.
