Boston Celtics assistant coach Jay Larranaga has declined to be a part of George Mason University's search for a head coach, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

George Mason had targeted Larranaga as one of its top candidates to replace the deposed Paul Hewitt, but Larranaga will pass on the chance to meet with university officials, sources told Yahoo Sports.

Larranaga has history, family ties and an affinity to the Atlantic 10 program, but is committed to Celtics coach Brad Stevens and president of basketball operations Danny Ainge – and a future as potential head-coaching candidate in the NBA.

Jay Larranaga is the top assistant for Celtics coach Brad Stevens. (Getty Images) More

Larranaga, Boston's top assistant coach, is the son of University of Miami coach Jim Larranaga, who elevated George Mason to national prominence with 13 consecutive winning seasons and an improbable run to the Final Four in 2006.

Jay Larranaga, 39, has stamped himself as one of the bright young assistant coaches in the NBA and a potential future head coach.

Part of George Mason's intrigue surrounding the Celtics assistant coach centered upon the potential of a next-generation Larranaga to recharge a dormant recruiting and fan base in the schoool's Northern Virginia-metropolitan Washington area. George Mason moved to the more competitive Atlantic 10 Conference out of the Colonial Athletic Association in 2012.

Before joining the Celtics as an assistant under Doc Rivers and later Stevens, Jay Larranaga reached the NBA Development League playoffs in both of his seasons as head coach of the Erie BayHawks, compiling a 60-40 record. The Philadelphia 76ers interviewed Larranaga twice for their head-coaching job in 2013 before hiring Brett Brown. Ainge interviewed Larranaga for the Celtics head-coaching job before luring Stevens from Butler University.

Larranaga has also been an assistant coach under Mike Fratello on the Ukraine National team in recent summers.