Butler University basketball coach Brad Stevens is staying put.
According to a report from ESPN.com, Stevens rebuffed overtures from UCLA, which made Stevens its top target after firing coach Ben Howland. A report Thursday night speculated that Stevens was
Stevens and the university haven’t commented on the UCLA speculation, but Stevens–who rarely tweets–sent the following message on Friday morning:
Love walking thru Hinkle in the morning… Anxious to get started on our spring workouts next week.
— Brad Stevens (@BCCoachStevens) March 29, 2013
Stevens is one of college basketball’s most sought after coaching candidates, but he’s continually declined to take jobs at larger schools as he continues to build Butler’s national profile.
In 2010, schools including Oregon, Wake Forest and Clemson expressed interest in hiring Stevens. Instead of leaving Butler, he signed an extension to keep him there through the 2021-2022 season. Stevens is an Indiana native who attended college at DePauw. His only college coaching experience comes from Butler.
