Imagine you're Brad Stevens. The 34 year old coach of the Butler Bulldogs. You've only been a head coach for four years, yet you just made back-to-back runs in the NCAA Tournament, to the National championship game no less. You are spotlighted everywhere, via any possible means of communication - including this blog that nobody reads. You are the face of the Mid-Major David to the NCAA Goliath's. Beloved and adorned by anyone who's ever watched an NCAA basketball game.
So now what?
You're Indiana born and bred. Graduate of a small Indiana college, now coaching another Indiana school in Butler University. So where do you go from here? How loyal to the state of Indiana are you? Or to Butler for that matter?
Butler was a great launching pad for your career, and I'm sure you're roots are deep there, but your pocket? I'm not so sure. Do you stay on at Butler for a decent "Please, please, please don't leave us" pay raise, or do you strike while the iron's hot and snatch up one of the many job offers that will, or no doubt already have, come your way?
And it's not exactly the worst time to be the hot ticket item in the basketball coaching world.
The NCAA has some head coaching jobs available for immediate hire. Teams like N.C. State, UNLV, Miami and Missouri. Win or lose tonight, it's likely Jim Calhoun's last game at UConn. How sweet a job would that be? Taking over a two time NCAA Championship school (Three time champs if you lose tonight. How's that for irony?) in arguably the best, deepest and most televised conference in the country.
Here's a spin; If Lakers coach Phil Jackson does indeed retire after this season, as has been speculated, there's a good chance Duke's Coach K will jump at the opportunity he regretfully turned down in 2005, leaving one of the most prestigious coaching jobs left vacant for Brad Stevens to saddle up and ride straight down tobacco road glory.
But why stop at the NCAA level? The Miami Heat would love to get Pat Riley back on the sideline, but nobody actually believe's that will happen. Trade rumors of Erik Spoelstra being shown the door are probably a bit over-rated, but Stevens has had the kind of success and recent popularity to possibly nudge the Miami brass into reconsidering their decision to keep him. It's not like it would be a huge risk, what with James, Wade and Bosh all basically being capable of coaching themselves. Isn't that what their doing now?
But realistically, the Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings are almost certain to be looking for a new head coaches in approximately six more games. Three more teams with absolutely nothing to lose by taking a chance on Stevens.
So, does Brad Stevens take advantage of this truly once in a lifetime opportunity to coach a big time university, with final four potential every year, or upgrade to the NBA where every head coaching job is interim anyway? Or does he stay at home and risk the chance that his Butler team never makes it back to the final four - or worse - the sweet sixteen ever again, and is slowly forgotten, slipping deep down the depths on the head coaching waiting list?
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