Butte High is in the market for a new boys’ basketball coach.

Matt Luedtke resigned his position Monday, four days after his Bulldogs dropped a Western AA playoff game to Missoula Big Sky at the Richardson Gym.

Travis Johnson, Butte High’s second-year activities director, said he is just starting the process to find Butte High’s next coach.

“We’re at the beginning phase,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to go through whatever the procedures there are. Everything has to go through the school board.”

Johson said he thanks Luedtke for his seven seasons coaching the Bulldogs.

“I appreciate what Matt has done for the Butte high boys’ program,” Johnson said. “I wish him the best for the future.”

In his seven seasons leading the program, Luedtke’s Bulldogs compiled a 79-76 record. That includes this year’s 15-5 mark. Butte High’s 15-4 regular-season record was the best for the Bulldogs since 2007.

Luedtke, 43, took the Bulldogs to the Class AA State tournament in each of his first five seasons. Butte High’s season ended with home playoff losses the last two seasons.

Luedtke said several factors played a role in his decision to leave Butte High. Those include what he said is a lack of support for his youth basketball program and accusations that he was making too much money of the program.

“The administration wanted to make money off of us when I was trying to make money for the youth program,” Luedtke said. “When you’re out there trying to do good, and that’s you motivating factor, and people are out there (complaining) about how much money you make?”

He said his “Team UpTop” program charged just $300 per player, and coaches focused on developing all the players, not just the players whose parents coach.

“At $300 a kid, especially when you’re giving out scholarships, it is not enough to sustain what we were doing,” Luedtke said. “That was a frustrating thing because I thought what we were doing was a good thing.”

Luedtke gave up the “Team UpTop” program following last season.

“I believed that was the ticket to build a winner,” he said of the program. “You’ve got to do it from the ground up. Not having the support of the parents is tough.They don’t have the foresight to look at what happened in the past and see that it didn’t work.”

The fact that the Class AA moved away from divisional tournaments following the 2023-24 season also factored into his decision.

“Those district and divisionals are what I want for Dawson,” Luedtke said of his 10-year-old son. “I believe the last two years that, if we had a divisional, that there is no way we’re going to get beat twice. We got unlucky last year, and this year we played our worst game (in the playoff).

“You get a mulligan in the state tournament, and that’s why the best teams go (to State),” Luedtke said. “I’ll never coach again in the Class AA as long as they don’t have a divisional tournament.”

Luedtke was Butte High’s 26th head coach, and he was one of the most successful. He was the first coach with a winning record since John Thatcher’s Bulldogs went 111-110 in 10 seasons from 2001 through 2010.

Only Thatcher, Pat Foley (12 seasons), Bob Rae (11 seasons) and Swede Dahlberg (29 seasons) enjoyed longer tenures as head coach of the Butte High boys’ basketball team.

The Bulldogs finished the 2022-23 season at 12-12, marking the first time the Bulldogs were at .500 or better since 2008. Butte High has gone 56-33 over the past four season. That stretch also saw Luedtke’s son, Hudson, become the all-time leading scorer in the Butte High boys’ program with 1,658 points.

Matt Luedtke was named head coach of the Bulldogs in May of 2019. He replaced Luke Powers, who resigned after four seasons coaching at his alma mater.

The next March, the Bulldogs played in the Class AA State tournament for the first time since 2013.

In his final season at Butte High, Luedtke said he had the best coaching staff of his career. His assistants were Shea Schroeder, Kenley Leary, Jordan Clary, Jake Parish and Manny Rodriguez. Leary played for Luedtke for three seasons at Butte High.

“Kenley Leary coached with me,” Luedtke said. “That’s as big of a complement you can get as a coach, when people want to come back and work with you.”

Before taking the Butte High job, Luedtke served as head coach for six seasons at Choteau. His team won back-to-back Class B State titles in 2015 and 2016, winning 52 straight games.

Luedtke said he plans to coach again. He said he will likely to move back to Choteau. Even though he coached at Butte High, he works in the insurance industry in Choteau and Fairfield, making the drive at least once a week.

“I would prefer to coach next year,” Luedtke said. “I’m afraid if I take a year off, I will get used to not coaching. I started coaching because I love the game of basketball and I love to mentor kids.”

Leaving Butte High was not an easy decision, Luetke said.

“I’m sad because I really wanted to win a state title at Butte High,” he said. “I thought the last two years were our best years.”

Luedtke pointed out that Maryland coach Buzz Williams famously said that a coach should never stay at a program for more than six seasons.

“I really do hope whoever takes over is able to sustain success at Butte High,” Luedtke said. “I don’t care if people feel I did a good job or not. I feel like I did a good job.

“Coaches are like painters. Nobody appreciates you until you’re gone.”

As a player, Luedtke was one of the best this state has ever seen. He was named the Montana Gatorade Player of the Year while playing at Ronan in 2000. He went on to play college ball at the University of Montana, the Colorado School of Mines and Montana Western.

Luedtke played three seasons in the ABA and was the first player signed by the former Butte Daredevils of the CBA.