Butler Coach: Brandon Miller Hired To Replace Brad Stevens
Butler’s coach Brandon Miller has a lot to live up to as he is set to replace Brad Stevens. The 34-year-old will take over for the Bulldogs after Stevens took the job as the next head coach of the Boston Celtics.
The move to the NBA comes after Doc Rivers was sent to the Los Angeles Clippers. In six seasons at Butler, Stevens led the squad to five NCAA tournament appearances, including back-to-back runner-up finishes in the finals.
He quickly turned the Bulldogs from being an upset threat to a championship contender which also led to the rise of his coaching career. He’s now given the task of rebuilding the Boston Celtics while Brandon Miller begins his role back at Butler.
Miller spent the 2007-08 season as an assistant coach to Stevens before moving into the same role at Ohio State. He took a year off from the game following the 2011 season, but he returned last year to be a special assistant at the University of Illinois.
Butler’s coach didn’t stay away for too long as he was in the plans for next season with or without Stevens. He rejoined forces with Butler this past April as an assistant, but Stevens found an opening with the Celtics that he couldn’t pass up.
One job led to another in this case, though Miller wasn’t considered a likely candidate at first. Most schools look for prolific coaches within the game, but Butler took the traditional approach and made an in-house move.
“We’re very confident and looking forward to our first year in the Big East with Brandon Miller as our head coach,” athletic director Barry Collier said about the school’s decision, according to The Associated Press.
“He’s a very intense, hard-working individual,” Collier added. “Most importantly, his values are student-oriented, and he tries to lead people to even greater things. Brandon was the best choice for our coach at this time.”
Do you think Brandon Miller is the right replacement as Bulter’s coach after Brad Stevens left for the NBA?
[Image via Bradjward]
