Brad Stevens’ primary concern this March is getting the Boston Celtics into the NBA playoffs, but he hasn’t completely forgotten his roots.
Stevens spent six years as Butler’s head coach before signing on with the Celtics two summers ago, leading the Bulldogs to several of the most successful seasons in school history. Butler is back in the NCAA Tournament this spring, and its old coach is closely following along.
“I usually watch basketball with more of a coachâs eye, but I just watch them purely as a fan, and I love it,” Stevens told Brian Robb of Bleacher Report. “Iâve had a ton of fun. Iâm glad there werenât any cameras on my son and I when they hit the game-winner against Creighton (on Feb. 19) at the game we were at because we were jumping up and down and going nuts, like we were at the dog pound. Itâs been fun to be a fan.
“I know all of those guys, and I had a chance to coach the older ones. Theyâre just terrific guys, terrific kids, and they all achieved at a really high level. Theyâve added to the Butler basketball program in a number of ways. I always used to talk about that with my players, to come in and continue to add to what the Butler program is. Thatâs what they have done. Hats off to all of them.”
The Big Dance got off to a good start for the sixth-seeded Bulldogs, who knocked off No. 11 Texas on Thursday in the Round of 64. The 56-48 win even elicited a tweet from Stevens — the first time the coach had used his personal Twitter account since September 2013.
[tweet https://twitter.com/BCCoachStevens/status/578664960173195265 align=’center’]
âHe was excited about the win, but I was the one jumping up and down,â Celtics assistant and Butler alum Ronald Nored said Friday, via The Boston Globe. âHe was just sitting on the couch, but thatâs just how he is.â
Butler takes on No. 3 seed Notre Dame on Saturday.
Thumbnail photo via Jamie Rhodes/USA TODAY Sports Images
