Butler coach Brad Stevens signs contract extension

4/15/2008 5:28 PM

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Butler coach Brad Stevens signed a seven-year contract extension Tuesday, keeping him with the Bulldogs at least through the 2014-15 basketball season.

The 31-year-old Stevens, one of the youngest coaches in Division I, led Butler to a school- and Horizon League-record 30-4 mark in his first year as head coach last season. The Bulldogs, ranked among the nation's Top 25 almost all season, lost to Tennessee in overtime in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

``We are extremely excited to reach this long-term agreement to have Brad continue to lead our program,'' Butler athletic director Barry Collier said. ``Brad has demonstrated that he understands the Butler way.''

Stevens, who played at nearby DePauw, was a Butler assistant for six years under Thad Matta and Todd Lickliter. When Lickliter left for Iowa last April, Collier offered the top job to Stevens.

The Bulldogs won the Horizon League regular-season and tournament championships and posted nonconference wins over five schools from traditional power conferences - Michigan and Ohio State of the Big Ten, Florida State and Virginia Tech of the ACC, and Texas Tech of the Big 12.

Their 27 regular-season wins set a school and conference record, and their 30-4 overall record was best in Division I besides the teams that reached the NCAA Final Four.

Terms of the new contract were not disclosed.

``My family and I are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to continue coaching at Butler,'' Stevens said in a statement.