BUTTE — A new age of Butte High boys basketball is upon us.
Tuesday night's overtime defeat to the Dillon Beavers marked the beginning of the Matt Luedtke era. The former Choteau head coach now inherits a Bulldog team in need of a turnaround, and Luedtke understands just as much anybody else the challenges that come with it.
“Coming in, first of all, it’s kind of one of those things where I’m bringing in a new system and a new style of play, so there’s going to be some growing pains no matter what," said Luedtke. "I’m coming in just to get the kids to play my brand of basketball.”
There’s always the question of how the returning players will adjust to a new style of play. But it appears in the early part of the season returners like senior Jake Olson are excited to be a part of the next chapter in the basketball program.
“He wants us to be really aggressive, and he brings that to the table, it’s really nice. It’s weird having new sets for everything, but you get used to it after a couple practices," said Olson. "We all know what we’re doing now, and we’re excited for the season."
Luedtke understands the difference between Class B and Class AA styles of play. So what may work tomorrow night might not work the next game, meaning he’ll be ready to make adjustments as the season goes on.
“The AA is probably going to be a little different -- the perception that everyone likes to slow it down -- and there are some really, really great coaches in AA," Luedtke said. "But we’re going to try and keep that identity and obviously if we need to make some tweaks along the way we will.”
