NEW YORK (AP) - David Letterman offered Butler's Brad Stevens a year of his salary to take over his alma mater, Ball State.
The "Late Show" host was joking, of course, when he interviewed the NCAA runner-up's coach via satellite Tuesday. Stevens responded by complimenting Ball State's Billy Taylor.
As the 33-year-old Stevens quipped another time Letterman tried to lure him into criticizing another coach: "I'm too young to take your bait."
Butler lost to Duke 61-59 but captured fans' hearts, earning Stevens a spot on the CBS show even in defeat.
Letterman had some advice for fellow Indiana native Gordon Hayward, who could turn pro. Letterman said: "Coach, in the NBA, I don't know if you know this or not, but they got guns, they got handguns in the locker room. Don't let him go."