WALTHAM, Mass. -- Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens will forever be linked with Butler University, but Monday marked the final time that any of the Bulldogs he coached collegiately will pass through for NBA pre-draft workouts.

The Celtics hosted Butler's Kellen Dunham and Roosevelt Jones as part of a double shot of workouts that allowed the team to examine 12 more draft-eligible bodies. Neither Dunham nor Jones are likely to hear their names called later this month -- Dunham ranks 116th on Chad Ford's Big Board, while Jones is unranked -- but their presence surely broke up the monotony of draft workouts for a Celtics team that is leaving no stone unturned with eight picks on June 23.

Celtics coach Brad Stevens has remained an unabashed supporter of Butler University, his previous employer. AP Photo/Eric Gay

"It's always fun when you have your guys that [played at Butler]," Stevens said. "Those two guys had great careers, won a ton of games, did what really, really good players there do. So it's fun to see them. They got in a little early [Sunday], so we got a chance to spend time with them [Sunday] night. It was great. It's always fun for us.

"And this is the last wave of guys that I've coached, so I guess my time of coaching guys that are now coming through is gone after today."

These visits from Butler players have become a spring ritual. Last June, Kameron Woods, who went undrafted but latched on with the Oklahoma City Thunder's D-League squad, detailed how he went straight to visit Stevens and his family when he arrived in town before his draft workout with the Celtics. Back in 2014, Khyle Marshall noted after his draft workout that "I felt like I was back at Butler, but there was just a lot of green around me."

Reflecting on the Butler visits, Stevens admitted it's fun to see his former players swap out their Bulldogs blue for Celtics green.

"I think we've had somebody through every year I've been here," said Stevens, who left Butler for the Celtics in 2013. "I think that's a good statement for the program, that it's been really good. But that was long before I got there and will be the case long after I leave. It's a fun thing for me to follow and it's even more fun to see them up close, wearing the Celtics gear and everything else as they compete against each other."

Stevens has stressed that the best part of being in the NBA is that he gets to be an unabashed Butler super-fan. Stevens has used the All-Star break to catch a couple of Bulldogs game live. He's also repeatedly stressed how difficult it was to leave his former players while making the leap to the NBA, and he has maintained a connection even while being 800 miles away.

"During the year he was texting us congrats on graduation, [or] when me and [Jones] would have some big games, he'd text us after a big win," Dunham said. "It was exciting to keep in touch with him, and it shows you how personable he is."

Added Jones: "I was kind of disappointed when [Stevens] left, but obviously it was for a good reason. To come here and see him in this atmosphere, how well he's doing in the NBA, it's real good to be able to play with him again. I had fun today."

Stevens has even helped convert some of his former players into Celtics fans.

"I tried to watch them every chance I had to see them," Jones said. "Just what [Stevens] does with the talent they have on their team, just how he brings the best out of everybody -- that's why he's such a great coach. He did that my two years at Butler. He brings the best out of everybody and you see it now with the Celtics. Now, if they can just add a few more pieces, they'll be very dangerous in the Eastern Conference."

The Butler visits undoubtedly will continue in the future, but you could tell Monday that Stevens took a moment to savor these visits from the last batch of guys who played for him.

"We enjoy each other's company. It's been fun to continue to be connected to Butler in different ways," Stevens said. "And continue to be able to watch them grow and play, and they both had really, really good careers. I think Roosevelt's ability to put the ball on the floor and create mismatches 1 through 5 on offense and defense is really unique. And Kellen, ever since I started watching him as a 15-year-old kid, has been one of the more forceful cutters, with the ability to shoot off screens that I've seen. So, you hope that it works out best for both of them, regardless of circumstance, because they both deserve to have good careers."