Celtics hire Stevens as coach
BOSTON — Butler's historic Hinkle Fieldhouse couldn't compete with the Boston Garden and all those NBA championship banners hanging from its rafters.
The Boston Celtics hired Brad Stevens away from the school he led to back-to-back NCAA title games, putting the 36-year-old coach in charge of their brand new rebuilding effort on Wednesday. Stevens had turned down offers from bigger college programs, but couldn't resist the lure of the NBA's most-decorated franchise.
“There are some brands in sports, and in the world of basketball the Celtics are one of those,” Butler athletic director Barry Collier said in an on-campus news conference on Wednesday night.
With aging stars Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce on their way to the Brooklyn Nets, and Doc Rivers already coaching the Los Angeles Clippers, the Celtics have been trying to get younger. In Stevens, they have a mentor who is younger than Garnett and wasn't yet born when Bill Russell won his 11th NBA championship in 1969 — or even when John Havlicek added two more in the 1970s.
It's the first time the Celtics have hired a college coach since Rick Pitino in 1997 and their first coach with no NBA experience of any kind since Alvin “Doggie” Julian, who was hired in 1948 and gave way to Red Auerbach two years later.
“Though he is young, I see Brad as a great leader who leads with impeccable character and a strong work ethic” Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said in a release. “His teams always play hard and execute on both ends of the court. Brad is a coach who has already enjoyed lots of success, and I look forward to working with him towards Banner 18.”
