Basketball head coach Brad Stevens has decided to stay at Butler despite being the top candidate for the coaching vacancy at UCLA.

"I'm the coach at Butler," Stevens told ESPN.com in a text message.

Earlier, Stevens also affirmed his decision to remain with Butler in a tweet, saying "love walking thru Hinkle [Fieldhouse] in the morning... Anxious to get started on our spring workouts next week."

Stevens, who guided Butler to the national championship game in 2010 and 2011, has been a top target for any major job opening during the past three years but remained with Butler.

He was targeted by major-conference schools such as Oregon, Wake Forest and Clemson in 2010, but signed an extension with Butler through the 2021-22 season with a salary of around $1 million per year.

UCLA was reported to be targeting Stevens to fill the coaching vacancy after firing Ben Howland, who was making $2.3 million yearly before he was dismissed.

Aside from Stevens, Shaka Smart of Virginia Commonwealth was also among UCLA's targets but he decided to stay at VCU, which extended him through 2023.

The Bruins also have former UCLA assistants and current head coaches -- NC State's Mark Gottfried and Washington's Lorenzo Romar. But the two said UCLA hasn't contacted them.

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Basketball Head Coach Brad Stevens Staying at Butler