Brad Stevens Named New Boston Celtics Head Coach
When Glenn "Doc" Rivers left for the Los Angeles Clippers after nine years Boston Celtics as the head coach, he left a void that Celtics President for Basketball Operations Danny Ainge would take time to be filled. However, the most titled franchise in the National Basketball Association pulled off a surprise by hiring former Butler Bulldogs head coach Brad Stevens to take over the team.
Stevens is a 36-year-old head coach from Zionsville, Indiana, who took the Bulldogs of Indianapolis to two runner-up finishes in the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament. His team bowed down during the title games in 2010 and 2011 to the Duke University Blue Devils and the University of Connecticut Huskies. During these runs, the Bulldogs defeated powerhouse teams such as Syracuse, Michigan State, Florida and Wisconsin.
In his six years as Butler head coach, he has posted a 166-49 win-loss record which includes a conference record of 84-22. In 2010, he signed a contract extension that would have kept him in the Bulldogs' sidelines until the 2021-2022 season. This extension killed speculations that he would bolt for head coaching duties in other universities like Wake Forest, Clemson and Oregon.
Stevens is also a former player who first gained prominence by suiting up for his hometown Zionsville Community High School. During this time, he was a perennial All-State first team member and a Straight A Gold Medal awardee. Then he chose to play with De Paul University in college where he earned an Academic All-American citation. He graduated in 1999 with a degree in economics.
Brad Stevens will be the 17th head coach in Boston Celtics history, and he will continue the legacy of coaching greats such as Red Auerbach, KC Jones, Bill Fitch, Tom Heinsohn, Mr Rivers and even Bill Russell who won NBA titles in 1968 and 1969 as player-coach. His impending role will also give him a young yet talented Celtics roster that features Rajon Rondo, Jeff Green, Gerald Wallace, Avery Bradley and Brandon Bass.
He could have coached future Hall-of-Famers Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. However, the two All-Stars and Jason Terry were traded to the Brooklyn Nets for Mr Wallace, Kris Humphries, Marshon Brooks, and first-round NBA draft picks in 2014, 2016 and 2018. Meanwhile, the Nets will be coached by the recently-retired Jason Kidd with Lawrence Frank as his assistant.
The Boston Celtics have won 17 NBA Championships, the most of all-time, with the last one won by Mr Pierce, Mr Garnett, Ray Allen and company at the expense of the Los Angeles Lakers which was led by Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. Allen signed with the Miami Heat before the 2012-2013 season and he collected a second NBA title when the Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs.
In the last season, the Celtics compiled a 41-40 win-loss record but lost in the first round of the NBA Playoffs to the New York Knicks in six games. Each NBA team plays 82 regular season games but the Celtics only played 81 because of the cancellation of their game against the Indiana Pacers, following the tragic events during the Boston Marathon.
Stevens is also known for his calm demeanour while coaching. He rarely shows excessive emotions and does not question bad calls. He said that his way of coaching can affect how the team plays. Therefore, the team can also relax and get the job done if he remains calm and focused. He is also one of the coaches who heavily check statistics and incorporate what the data says to the adjustments needed to be made.