WASHINGTON, D.C. — ESPN.com’s college basketball editor Tweeted this out on Thursday, stirring up a frenzy in the college hoops world:
“Brad Stevens UCLA’s top target & the two sides are in contract negotiations.”
As of 9 p.m. Thursday, the Tweet was still up.
The Big Lead also posted a screen grab of the original story, written by Andy Katz and Peter Yoon, which at first read: “Sources told ESPNLosAngeles.com that the two sides were in contract negotiations.”
ESPN.com later updated the story with this caveat: “Sources told ESPNLA.com that the two sides may be in contract negotiations. However, another source dismissed the claim.”
Stevens and VCU coach Shaka Smart have long been targeted by various programs as the up-and-coming stars of the coaching business.
As Jeff Goodman pointed out, Miami, Missouri, Illinois and other schools have also made runs at Stevens in the past.
As for the UCLA job, a source close to Stevens told SNY.tv: “I would be shocked [if he went to UCLA]. I don’t think he will leave Butler now that Butler is in the Big East. Indy is home for him. Why deal with the headaches of L.A.?”
Stevens, meantime, was keeping it low-key.
“I’m the coach at Butler,” Stevens wrote in a text message to ESPN.com. “As you know, my stance is to not comment on any other speculation or situation.”
If UCLA strikes out on Smart, who signed a contract extension on Wednesday, and Stevens, and Mark Gottfried proves too expensive with his $3.75M buyout, the Bruins may have to pursue Washington’s Lorenzo Romar, former Lakers coach Mike Brown or other options.
UCLA AD Dan Guerrero made this statement on his weekly blog:
“We certainly understand that many of our fans will want to stay up to date on the latest happenings. That said, in the best interest of the search itself, as well as everyone involved, we will not comment on the process, the candidates, or provide status updates. This is the same policy we used when we hired Jim Mora. Just know that we are hard at work to bring a coach to Westwood who we can all be excited about.”
Photo: Indy Star
