Matta’s comeback includes rekindling Butler’s winning ways

By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Thad Matta only stayed for one season the last time Butler hired him as head coach. Over the next decade, the Bulldogs celebrated unprecedented success including two straight national runner-up finishes. Now athletic director Barry Collier believes his 54-year-old former assistant can recreate the script — five years after he left Ohio State because of health concerns. Matta fits the model. Like most Butler coaches over the past half century, he’s a school alum and paid his dues as an assistant. The question now is whether Matta can bring back Butler’s winning ways..