Brad Stevens Not Going Anywhere, Striving To 'Fill In That Blank Banner'
BOSTON (CBS) -- Celtics fans fearing that Brad Stevens would some day jump back to the college ranks can rest easy for the foreseeable future.
Stevens, along with president of basketball ops. Danny Ainge, signed an extension with the team on Wednesday. While he wouldn't say how long the extension was for, Stevens was flattered that the team has enough faith in him after just three seasons in the NBA to tack on to his original contract, which had three years remaining.
"It means a lot that people believe in the direction you're headed from the small role you play," Stevens said Wednesday. "It felt very empowering, but I've felt very empowered every day that I've been here."
"I think it's important for our fans and our players and everybody to know that he's not looking for another opportunity," Ainge said of Stevens. "He's here with the Celtics and that's very important. It's a commitment with all of us. We've gone out of our way to build some stability and continuity with our staffs, and I think that is important as well."
"We're all together and we're in this for the long haul," added Ainge.
Stevens said he's never given thought to going back to the college game, and the only time it crosses his mind is when reporters bring it up. It's clear that Stevens is happy with the Celtics, even if there is no clear path, at the moment, to either long-term or short-term success.
"It's great to be here and we're looking forward to the next challenge ahead," said Stevens. "To be quite candid, no coach is sitting in a situation where they get a contract extension without a total commitment and great guys as players. That is something I have been really thankful for, the opportunity to continue to work with guys who care about putting this uniform on and all that comes with it; the great responsibility and knowing we all share that.
"The biggest thing was that we all want to get better; we want to strive to compete to fill in that blank banner up there," Stevens said, hoping to bring "Banner 18" to Boston. "There is a lot of good fortune that has to accompany that along the way, but you get a chance to work with people you enjoy to work with is the best part of that journey."
