Brad Stevens would rather not coach than coach at Indiana

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Following the firing of head coach Archie Miller back in March, the Indiana basketball program put Zionsville, IN native and Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens at the top of its wish list to take over. At one point, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski even reported that IU was prepared to offer Stevens, who led Butler to two Final Fours in 2010 and 2011, a contract worth $10 million per season over the course of seven years.

“I was told that Indiana was prepared to offer him seven years, $70 million,” Wojnarowski said on NBA Countdown in April.

Stevens later denied the whopping $70 million deal that would have made him the highest-paid coach in college basketball, but added that he was flattered by Indiana’s interest.

“It means a lot,” Stevens said at the time. “Listen, I’ve got a lot of friends back there. I’ve got a lot of people that are really important to me there. My dad’s still there. That does mean a lot. I won’t act like that doesn’t. Like I said earlier today, it’s flattering.”

At the end of the day, though, he wasn’t considering the job.

“I said it the other day: I’m not [considering it],” Stevens said in March. “And I tried to say it as clearly as I could and also make sure that people understand that that place to me is special. Because I don’t want to make it sound like it’s not. But, like I said the other day, I’m so grateful to this organization, and to the people here, and for all that they’ve done for us.”

Today, though, Stevens not only proved that he wasn’t interested in the Indiana job, but that he would rather not coach at all than coach the Hoosiers moving forward.

In a Wednesday morning news dump that turned the basketball world upside down, Celtics president Danny Ainge officially retired from his role, with Stevens moving on as the team’s head coach to take over as the the new head of basketball operations.

“I’m grateful to ownership and to Danny for trusting me with this opportunity,” said Stevens. “I’m excited to tackle this new role, starting with a wide ranging and comprehensive search for our next head coach. I love the Celtics, and know the great honor and responsibility that comes with this job. I will give it everything I have to help us be in position to consistently compete for championships.”

Instead, Indiana is left with 63-year-old Mike Woodson, who has zero coaching experience at the collegiate level.

Good luck, Hoosiers.