There’s no doubt Brad Stevens is the most talked about young coach in Division I college basketball.
After taking the Butler Bulldogs to two consecutive Final Fours, Stevens has channeled Yoda in the way he is able to use some invisible force, willing his players to consistently play to the best of their ability, beating teams that on paper they have no business competing with.
In spite of reports of his imminent departure, Stevens has insisted that he will remain at Butler and transform the Bulldogs into the country’s best mid-major and the Midwest’s elite basketball power.
Here are three reasons why he should forgo the temptation of big money at a larger, more prominent school, and stay at Butler:
1. Very few get the opportunity to build their own kingdom.
Very few Division I coaches get to build their own kingdom from the ground-up. One of the only that comes to mind is Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski..
Stevens is in the position to make the Butler program the “Duke of the Midwest”.
After the team’s first Final Four appearance, Butler’s cache not only in Indiana, but across the country, was bolstered. With a second Final Four appearance in as many years, Butler is a household name.
Sure, Brad Stevens could make more money in the short-term by jumping ship to a program with greater resources.
The issue is, greater resources come with increased exposure and less autonomy.
Why give up control over the daily operations of your program and the direction it will take if you do not have to do so?
2. The grass isn’t always greener. Just ask Billy Gillispie.
College basketball coaches are slowly starting to come to the realization that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
One of the most glaring examples of this worn-out cliche was Billy Gillispie’s decision to take the Kentucky Wildcats job, ending a short tenure at Texas A&M.
By any account, Gillispie’s time at Kentucky was an abject failure and he was forced to let the clouds blow over before finally securing another Division I job at Texas Tech.
Sometimes a good thing is good enough. This is something Brad Stevens should and likely does realize with his situation at Butler.
3. Recruiting will only improve.
Even though Butler will only have one of the Rivals 150 entering as part of its 2012 recruiting class, don’t think Brad Stevens isn’t recruiting exactly who he wants.
Stevens is a cerebral coach, and he will continue to recruit thinking players who can adapt to complex offensive and defensive systems.
These guys may not be who you see on YouTube highlight reels, but they will fit Butler’s system perfectly.
As the Bulldogs continue to have a national presence some of these blue chippers may arrive in Indianapolis, but it won’t make a huge difference to Brad Stevens either way.
Brad Stevens, and VCU’s Shaka Smart will both have career-changing decisions to make when the National Tournament ends.
If the young Butler coach is smart, he’ll stay put and build the Butler program his way.
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