Brad Stevens was on a wishlist for Indiana fans to take over the Hoosier basketball program once Mike Woodson steps aside. Unfortunately, that will not happen, according to a report from college basketball insider Jeff Goodman.

Admittedly a long shot, the Indiana native told Goodman he’s content with the Boston Celtics. Stevens was promoted to Boston’s president of basketball operations in 2021 and has built a team that just captured the NBA Finals in 2024.

Brad Stevens’s response is not surprising, but neither is the idea that Indiana was hoping to see if Stevens might be interested in returning to Indiana. He played collegiately at DePauw and began carving out his path as a coach at Butler.

From 2007-13, Stevens led the Bulldogs to a 166-49 overall record and 5 NCAA Tournament appearances. He coached some of Butler’s program legends during his tenure, including Gordan Heyward, and made it to back-to-back NCAA Tournament Finals in 2010 and 2011 but lost both instances.

After his turnaround at Butler, Stevens headed to the NBA where he coached the Celtics for 8 seasons with a 354-282 overall record. Boston made the playoffs every season but one under Stevens, including 3 Eastern Conference Finals appearances.

Without Stevens as a viable option, it will be interesting to see who the Hoosiers hone in on. Indiana is reportedly looking to swing big for a proven college head coach this time around, and the Hoosiers will probably have to pay big to make it happen.