Brad Stevens To...

[4everwarriors]

where? Bet you don't see him sign a 10 year extension at Butler. At 33 yrs. old, this America, is your next "hot" coach.
In the meantime, it would be very cool to see the Bulldogs win the whole shabang in their home city.

[HoopsMalone]

I wonder how long before the IU message boards are asking for him to replace their current coach?

Iowa probably will not be going back to Butler for a coach any time soon. 

[MU1984]

How much is he getting paid and can Butler pay him what he deserves?  If he can get a respectable salary with postseason success incentives, why would he leave a school where he will be dancing as a 4-9 seed every year?

[4everwarriors]

Coaches are driven by 3 things:
1. Money
2. Money
3. Ego

Did I mention money?

Yet you can't help but pull for Stevens. He's a breath of fresh air on the bench. Seems totally in control of both himself and the game. Maybe he's not, but then again, maybe it's self-confidence. But, at 33 years of age, you've got to figure he has other mountains to climb and bigger paychecks to cash. Hope Butler enjoys him while it lasts.

[77ncaachamps]

St. John's!

DePaul!

Seton Hall!

Oregon!

Nah. Probably none of those.

[PGsHeroes32]

Hes a great coach and looks even younger than 33. I think he will stay, the whole team basically returns and they are always a real threat in the horizon and NCAA tourney. This Final 4 appearance will probably bring in good money to keep him around as well.

[MUBurrow]

the horizon is just too small to keep a coach with major offers on the table.  with a final four under his belt, I don't think he has much interest in going into the gyms of Youngstown St, Valpo, Detroit, etc every season.  then again, he can afford to bide his time at Butler for the job he really wants, rather than jump at a middle of the road major conference job (Seton Hall, Iowa, etc). Its not like he'll suddenly stop winning at Butler.

[pillardean]

Coaches are driven by 3 things:
1. Money
2. Money
3. Ego

Did I mention money?

Yet you can't help but pull for Stevens. He's a breath of fresh air on the bench. Seems totally in control of both himself and the game. Maybe he's not, but then again, maybe it's self-confidence. But, at 33 years of age, you've got to figure he has other mountains to climb and bigger paychecks to cash. Hope Butler enjoys him while it lasts.

He does get a bit animated at times, but then again it was an elite 8 game and sometimes you just see that a play is going to work and you got to shout it out to make it heard.

If he leaves for any of those reasons, at his juncutre in life, do you blame him? 
I wouldn't.

[HoopsMalone]

Coaches are driven by 3 things:
1. Money
2. Money
3. Ego

Did I mention money?

Yet you can't help but pull for Stevens. He's a breath of fresh air on the bench. Seems totally in control of both himself and the game. Maybe he's not, but then again, maybe it's self-confidence. But, at 33 years of age, you've got to figure he has other mountains to climb and bigger paychecks to cash. Hope Butler enjoys him while it lasts.

You are right.  But hopefully Buzz is at a place where he sees what Crean got (over two million) and sees that it's enough.  I can see Butler's coach or Northern Iowa's coach (getting half million/year) wanting to change.  But hopefully Buzz is a guy who will see $2+ million and maybe closer to $3 million as enough.

Money counts, but money Marquette has.

[CrimsonNCrean]

Stevens isn't going anywhere anytime soon, Butler is going to give him a nice pay raise and he will be staying at BU for a few more years at least....

He has a great thing going there and he knows it....

[Tulsa Warrior]

Stevens will eventually be hired at Indiana.  Mark my words.  No knock against that other guy but there are forces at work that will make this happen within the next two years if not sooner.  This is an educated guess. 

[Brewtown Andy]

He was Lickliter's assistant, right?

Let's see, stay at Butler, make more money than 95% of Americans, win the Horizon every year, and win an NCAA game or two every year.

OR

Take over a bad BCS conference team, try to rebuild it, fail, get fired in 3 years for "not being as good as advertised" or some similar nonsense.

[GGGG]

He was Lickliter's assistant, right?

Let's see, stay at Butler, make more money than 95% of Americans, win the Horizon every year, and win an NCAA game or two every year.

OR

Take over a bad BCS conference team, try to rebuild it, fail, get fired in 3 years for "not being as good as advertised" or some similar nonsense.

You forgot to add:  "And then go back to a mid-major that is nowhere near as good as Butler was."

The only coach to succeed after leaving Butler is Thad Matta.  Collier failed at Nebraska.  Licklighter failed at Iowa.  Butler has succeeded because they pick in the Indiana kids who are overlooked by the big boys, and since Indiana high school basketball is so deep, that talent is good enough to succeed.  Gordon Hayward is a typical example.  Late bloomer...late grower...was slated to go to Purdue on a tennis scholarship.

So Stevens really has it good at Butler.  He should learn from what happened to Collier and Licklighter...and Matta too.  Bad programs are bad programs.  Matta left for Xavier and then OSU...two programs with resources and success.

[Canadian Dimes]

Lickliter and Collier made bad choices and basically took the first BCS job offered.  stevens is now in a position to do better.  After this seasosns final Four run he will get interest, if those jobs are ones he can win big in he could/should take it.  the only one out there that would be good for him would be Oregon. 

Otherwise, he can sit back, next years team wil be really good too.  After next year possibly better positions might open up.  After this Final 4 he will be a very hot commodity for at least a few years, especially with the Butler core still intact.  He can bide his time for a great job.

Look what a final 4 and mediocre results over the next 5 years did for a coach we know.

 

[Wade for President]

Stevens isn't going anywhere anytime soon, Butler is going to give him a nice pay raise and he will be staying at BU for a few more years at least....

He has a great thing going there and he knows it....

Not to mention one of the greatest home venues in college basketball not named Cameron Indoor.  Go Bulldogs!

[CrimsonNCrean]

Stevens will eventually be hired at Indiana.  Mark my words.  No knock against that other guy but there are forces at work that will make this happen within the next two years if not sooner.  This is an educated guess. 

I totally agree with this....   He just has to wait long enough for IU to get tired of Crean underachieving...     And I think he will.

IU missed the boat on Thad Motta....   I hope they don't miss out on Stevens...

[Mayor McCheese]

Stevens will stay at Butler... why leave a good thing for a dump such as DePaul, Iowa, Seton Hall, etc....

He gets the players he wants at Butler, why leave it?  Take notes from previous coaches like you Brad Stevens who went to "rebuild a powerhouse"... and are now looking for work, heres to you Lichliter

[MUBurrow]

I think it gets boring winning the Horizon handily every year, getting a 4-6 and getting bounced in the second/sweet 16.  We complain all the time about how this is what happens to UW every year, (except the Big 10 is more difficult than the horizon - blech) and that we're glad we don't have a team that operates like that. We talk about how much happier we are with our high upside and our potential to make deep runs.

This run is a once in a two decade type thing at Butler.  They won't make the elite 8 or sweet 16 consistently getting the recruits that IU, ND, etc pass over.  Just because the fan base doesn't demand more and wont for as long as Stevens is there doesn't mean Stevens won't wonder just how good he can get in the upper coaching echelons.  At the end of the day, a coach who makes the final four and competes in the tournament doesn't want to answer reporters questions about the Youngstown St Penguins every year, nor does he want to work his @$$ off recruiting the scraps off the big boys' tables.

[GGGG]

This run is a once in a two decade type thing at Butler. 

If Gordon Hayward doesn't leave, they may even be better next year.

[CrimsonNCrean]

If Gordon Hayward doesn't leave, they may even be better next year.

Gordon will stay, and they will be "much better"....   

Hayward, Mack, and Nored .....   all Sophomores...   Howard .. a Jr.

They are loaded.....   

[HoopsMalone]

What would Crean do if he got replaced by Butler's coach?  Go back to Izzo's staff?

[ATWizJr]

What would Crean do if he got replaced by Butler's coach?  Go back to Izzo's staff?

Not quite over Crean yet, are we?  And I don't mean just you.

[Tom Crean's Tanning Bed]

I would argue there's a decent chance that Stevens may leave at some point.  However, it's not going to be in the next 2 years at least in my opinion.  

Stevens returns his entire roster next year, so he's got a shot to win again big next year. There's a very mediocre list of open jobs this year. DePaul is a possibility in only being a Big East job in Chicago, but there isn't any of the support from the alumni and administration that he currently has at Butler.

And there's also another program about an hour south of him that I'm sure is keeping an eye on him if their savior fails-Indiana.

Even if Stevens has "down years" the next 2 seasons, if Crean fails to make significant progress at Indiana the next 2 years, Stevens can walk into that job with massive cachet with in-state players right off the bat and get who he wants in there. And unlike Lickletter, I think Stevens can win in the Big 10, especially were he to be at Indiana.

Also, don't discount in the next year or two if there is massive realignment due to the Big 10's expansion desires, Butler is now legitimately in the same position to move into an elite basketball-only league with teams like us, Georgetown, Villanova, etc. were the Big East to implode.  So although Butler is in the Horizon League right now, their conference situation could improve dramatically, which likely would help Stevens out further in recruiting. No longer would he have to sell playing in such locales as Youngstown and Valparaiso.

[HoopsMalone]

Not quite over Crean yet, are we?  And I don't mean just you.

Eh...  There is nothing else to talk about MU bball related so we have to resort to our former coach.  I don't talk about Crean as much as others do, but I personally think Crean is fair game for the rest of our lives.  The guy coached at MU for 9 years and took us to the Final Four.  He is forever linked to Marquette and therefore a subject for Marquette message boards.

[Golden Avalanche]

Eh...  There is nothing else to talk about MU bball related so we have to resort to our former coach.  I don't talk about Crean as much as others do, but I personally think Crean is fair game for the rest of our lives.  The guy coached at MU for 9 years and took us to the Final Four.  He is forever linked to Marquette and therefore a subject for Marquette message boards.

Do we really?

[HoopsMalone]

Do we really?

No, but there is nothing wrong with it when there is a thread about a good coach doing some good things at a school by him. 

Who cares if people come onto Marquette's message board and discuss a guy who took us to the Final Four and coached here nine years.  I find it relevant and entertaining personally.  I still find Bill Clinton jokes funny too even though he is not president, and I still find Crean jokes funny and Crean discussions relevant even though he is not our coach anymore.  Crean is forever tied to MU.

[CrimsonNCrean]

No, but there is nothing wrong with it when there is a thread about a good coach doing some good things at a school by him. 

Who cares if people come onto Marquette's message board and discuss a guy who took us to the Final Four and coached here nine years.  I find it relevant and entertaining personally.  I still find Bill Clinton jokes funny too even though he is not president, and I still find Crean jokes funny and Crean discussions relevant even though he is not our coach anymore.  Crean is forever tied to MU.

He certainly thinks he is.......   check out his latest twitters...   

[Coach Norman Dale]

Butler has a solid system in place, and Brad Stevens both lives it and sells it with the mantra of "winning the Butler way".  As I have watched this team I have noticed that it is built in a way very similar to how Bob Knight built many of his most successful Indiana teams -- with a core of midwest (mostly Indiana) kids who make good decisions on and off the court and are willing to work hard at both ends of the court.  

And while he has kept a good thing going at Butler, it will be interesting to see what he does next.  If he leaves the next Butler coach will almost certainly be a promotion for a current Butler assistant as that is how they have done it for a long time, and it is how they perpetuate the system.

As for Lickliter, I did not follow the Iowa situation until recently, but from what I read he was getting his foundation in place.  Steve Alford left that program in a state of disrepair and decline -- in regard to players, fan support and reputation.  So to expect Lickliter (or anyone) to turn it around in 3 years was silly.  I believe that schools must give a coach the time to get his own players in place before a true evaluation can be made.  

[HoopsMalone]

Lickliter was done in by a lot of his players transferring.  It's too bad for him, but hopefully he will find a way to redeem his career.

[77ncaachamps]

If Stevens can get some high-profile recruits to head to Butler, he'll stay.

If not, STRIKE WHILE THE IRON IS HOT, Brad!

[chapman]

Agree with others...why leave Butler to re-build a program like DePaul or SJU which might give you a nice salary but nothing else to work with, or try your luck across the country somewhere like Oregon?  He's due for a good pay raise and should wait for a job that isn't going to put him in a position to be going back to a Horizon school not named Butler four years later.  If you're 53 it's worth it to cash in, but at 33 he's got a lot more to shoot for.  Be patient and wait for Indiana, Notre Dame, Illinois, maybe even Louisville to open up in a couple years.

As far as Butler being better next year, who knows.  That's what everyone was saying a year ago about Villanova. 

[ATWizJr]

No, but there is nothing wrong with it when there is a thread about a good coach doing some good things at a school by him. 

Who cares if people come onto Marquette's message board and discuss a guy who took us to the Final Four and coached here nine years.  I find it relevant and entertaining personally.  I still find Bill Clinton jokes funny too even though he is not president, and I still find Crean jokes funny and Crean discussions relevant even though he is not our coach anymore.  Crean is forever tied to MU.

  Dude, it's a sickness.  Let it go.  You'll find  another prom date.

[Dawson Rental]

You are right.  But hopefully Buzz is at a place where he sees what Crean got (over two million) and sees that it's enough.  I can see Butler's coach or Northern Iowa's coach (getting half million/year) wanting to change.  But hopefully Buzz is a guy who will see $2+ million and maybe closer to $3 million as enough.

Money counts, but money Marquette has.

And hopefully, Buzz will see what Crean got when he moved on, as well.

[Dawson Rental]

where? Bet you don't see him sign a 10 year extension at Butler. At 33 yrs. old, this America, is your next "hot" coach.
In the meantime, it would be very cool to see the Bulldogs win the whole shabang in their home city.

I agree about how cool it would be to see Butler win it all.

No chance though, Cinderellas make the final four, but they don't survive there.

[Dawson Rental]

Stevens will eventually be hired at Indiana.  Mark my words.  No knock against that other guy but there are forces at work that will make this happen within the next two years if not sooner.  This is an educated guess. 

I've got to agree with your conclusion.  I think your timing is a little quick though.  Stevens has to be thinking of this as well.  How many miles is he away from Bloomington, now?  If you're gonna move up, how perfect is it to do so without relocating from the recruiting area you know best and are best known in?

[Dawson Rental]

Lickliter and Collier made bad choices and basically took the first BCS job offered.  stevens is now in a position to do better.  After this seasosns final Four run he will get interest, if those jobs are ones he can win big in he could/should take it.  the only one out there that would be good for him would be Oregon. 

Otherwise, he can sit back, next years team wil be really good too.  After next year possibly better positions might open up.  After this Final 4 he will be a very hot commodity for at least a few years, especially with the Butler core still intact.  He can bide his time for a great job.

Look what a final 4 and mediocre results over the next 5 years did for a coach we know.

 

And hey, don't forget those especially good 2011 and 2012 recruiting classes in Indiana.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Stevens will eventually be hired at Indiana.  Mark my words.  No knock against that other guy but there are forces at work that will make this happen within the next two years if not sooner.  This is an educated guess. 

If I had a nickel for every time it was virtually guaranteed over the years that Jim Crews would be the next coach, or Coach K, or Pat Knight or Thad Matta or Steve Alford, etc, etc.


On one hand you say it's an educated guess, but in another part you say forces are at work as if it's a done deal.  Doesn't sound like a guess at all based on what you're saying.   

Stephens may well be the guy, but it's pretty rare for a major program in the Big Ten to hire a guy with only 2 years head coaching experience.  It's been done, especially if they are an assistant within, but pretty rare.

Haven't you already had to eat your computer once?    

[GGGG]

I agree about how cool it would be to see Butler win it all.

No chance though, Cinderellas make the final four, but they don't survive there.

Butler isn't a Cinderella.  They were pre-season top 15, haven't lost a game since December, and have the same seeding as Michigan State. 

George Mason was a Cinderella...Villanova in 1984 was a Cinderella...Butler isn't one.

[mugrad99]

Dan Dakich was on his radio shoe, and he named several coaches that made it to a final four, then changed their recruiting techniques to try to land the big boys, and failed.

Guess you all can name one 

Coach Stevens may eventually leave, but he has a great thing going at Butler. A major school in a mid major conference, entrenched with the High School basketball coaches in Central Indiana, (arguably one of the hotbeds for players in the nation, and where the High School Coaches seem to have more influence then the AAU coaches).

[Dawson Rental]

Butler isn't a Cinderella.  They were pre-season top 15, haven't lost a game since December, and have the same seeding as Michigan State. 

George Mason was a Cinderella...Villanova in 1984 was a Cinderella...Butler isn't one.

A very good point.  Like Memphis (but not like Memphis in any other way), Butler really is a "high major" program in a "mid-major" conference.
Still, I don't see them getting past Michigan State, cool as that would be.

You can add the Penn 1979 team that lost to Magic Johnson's Michigan State team in the final four to the Cinderella list too.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Dan Dakich was on his radio shoe, and he named several coaches that made it to a final four, then changed their recruiting techniques to try to land the big boys, and failed.

Guess you all can name one 

I think Dakich is right.  Same thing happened in football with Barry Alvarez.  They went to the Rose Bowl in 1994 and went after all the big fish only to come up bridesmaids each time....and they suffered.  Eventually, he pulled back and went after the kids that made more sense which put them back into the plus column more often than not.

Of course the irony is that when TC or others sign "only" 3 star and 4 star players, then they have mentally challenged people like Hayward\Canadian Dimes and some of their fans screaming about recruiting classes.

[Avenue Commons]

Stevens will eventually be hired at Indiana.  Mark my words.  No knock against that other guy but there are forces at work that will make this happen within the next two years if not sooner.  This is an educated guess. 

Agreed. If Crean doesn't do VERY well in the next couple of years and Stevens is available and still successful, its beyond logical. It is fate.