Noah Thatcher was named head coach of the Butte High boys’ basketball program last month, and he is already off and running.
Butte High wrapped up its summer tournament schedule over the weekend. The new coach has a camp set up for late next month.
Thatcher grew up in Butte before moving to Great Falls when he was about 8 years old. He moved back to the Mining City as a senior in high school, and he played point guard for the Bulldogs during the 2000-01 season.
Butte High dropped a 55-53 decision in double overtime in the Class AA playoffs that year, falling just short of the Class AA State tournament. Capital’s Scott Wonderlich scored off a Kyle Samson pass with 1.4 seconds left in double overtime for the win.
Thatcher, who played a redshirt year under Rick Dessing at Montana Tech, takes over for Matt Luedtke, who stepped down after a successful seven-year run with the Bulldogs. He takes over a program that advanced to the Class AA State tournament five times in those seven years.
Thatcher held several assistant coaching positions in recent years. He served as Butte High’s freshman coach for a couple of seasons under Luedtke.
He is also filling the shoes of his father, John, who coached the Bulldogs from the 2000-01 season through the 2009-10 campaign. John will be part of the coaching staff this upcoming season.
Earlier today, I met with Noah inside the vault at the Metals Sports Bar & Grill for a fun conversation. Listen as he talks about that playoff game in 2001 and the amount of college athletes who participated from both sides.
Listen in as he talks about growing up a Thatcher and his move to Butte High for his senior season. Listen as he talks about his coaching staff and how he is excited to see what the Bulldogs can do in 2026-27.
Listen in to hear that the Bulldogs are in good hands.
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