Brad Stevens - Coaching Style

Coaching Style

According to Stevens, in one of his first games as head coach, he was nervous and "felt like our team played on edge" because of it. He decided that a team's play will reflect the mood of its coach; a calm coach means a team that will remain poised in difficult game situations, while a nervous coach means a team that plays on edge. "I don’t want to lose a game because of my approach," he told himself. Accordingly, he developed a strategy of always remaining calm and focused during games. He rarely raises his voice or gets emotional, instead quietly observing on the sideline with folded arms. He does not get upset about bad calls by referees or player mistakes, preferring to focus on "the next play" rather than what just happened. Butler player Willie Veasley explained Butler's 2010 Final Four run by saying, "When those big runs came, Coach called a timeout and said a few calm words. Then he said he believes in us, he loves us and we're going to win the game." On the rare occasion Stevens feels the need to correct a player, assistant coach Matthew Graves says he does it with "positive reinforcement, just at a little louder decibel". Above all, Stevens wants his players to be confident, not living in fear of being yanked for making a bad play.

Externally, Stevens is always calm, but internally he is far from it. "I'm not as calm as everybody thinks," Stevens says. His wife Tracy adds, "He’s calm and collected, but he’s fiercely competitive. He’s always thinking about how he can beat you." Former player Joel Cornette says "Everyone sees Brad as a level-headed, calm and cool coach, but he’s about as competitive of a guy as I know. We would get into it constantly, whether playing two-on-two or arguing about players’ having better college careers."

Stevens spends a lot of time preparing for each game, and always tries to add a few new wrinkles specific to that game's opponent. He is a proponent of using statistical analysis to enhance his coaching decisions, spending almost as much time looking at statistics as watching game film. He has been described as "a bit of a savant" when it goes to basketball statistics. Sports Illustrated calls Stevens an expert "on breaking down tape and looking at statistical trends to find opponents' weaknesses." Sophomore guard Ronald Nored agrees: "We know everything we need to about our opponents, all their tendencies are broken down" ahead of time.

Stevens' teams are built around solid basketball fundamentals and good team work, rather than individual basketball skill. His teams are known for their defense, forcing opponents into uncharacteristic mistakes. The secret to basketball – and life – is "just to do the job to the best of your ability and don't worry about anything else," Stevens says. "Win the next game. Win the next possession. That's our focus. It's boring. It's also the way championships are won", he says. In short, Stevens is a strong believer in "The Butler Way" – doing all the little things that transform a group of good basketball players into a great basketball team. "I tell the players 'the Butler Way' isn't easy to define," Stevens says, "but you can see it on the floor when we share the basketball, play with great energy and defend."

Stevens prefers to recruit strong team players instead of going after "top recruits." "The guys we recruited, most of them weren't very highly ranked," Stevens says. "They had very good high school careers or careers at other places (transfers), but for one reason or the other they weren't seen as great players. But they all had intangibles."

Stevens has often been referred to as a coaching prodigy, but is not interested in self promotion. He instead prefers to deflect the praise he receives to the players, athletic department, and his mentors. He has not been known to posture for more money, or to leak his name for open coaching positions. He has been described as humble, modest, and not "about the money".

The New York Times, USA Today, ESPN, and other commentators have attributed Butler's success against teams with superior athletes to Stevens' coaching style. The Times remarks, "the Bulldogs are very well prepared for their opponents, and they do not rattle easily", and says that the resulting confidence has led to the team's success. "He coaches to his personality and to his strengths," Collier says. "Obviously, he has great rapport and communication ability with his team." Yahoo! Sports compared Stevens to legendary coach John Wooden writing "Brad Stevens is winning at Butler the Wooden way – calm and composed on the sideline." Wooden agreed, saying, "I enjoy watching and very much enjoy style of play."

Stevens is known for chest bumping with his players after wins.