MASON, Ohio — Rob Matula knows success. He also understands the importance of relationships in coaching.

The 1984 Bucyrus High School graduate took Mason High School’s girls basketball team to the Division I state championship game. Matula’s team fell to Reynoldsburg 63-56 in overtime at The University of Dayton Arena on March 12.

“I knew we were going to be pretty good, but we lost a lot from last year’s regional qualifying team and had some missing pieces,” he said.

“I’ve been very, very lucky in my 17 years with the girls, and also with the boys. We’ve kind of established a tradition here where we go into each season with the expectation of having an opportunity to make a run in the tournament.”

Matula is in Chicago this week for the annual McDonald’s All-American girls’ game at Wintrust Arena watching his star player, Kyla Oldacre. The girls’ game will air on ESPN2 at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and the boys’ game on ESPN at 9 p.m.

The 6-foot-6 Oldacre is the team’s lone graduating senior and is headed to Miami (Florida). She is Matula’s second McDonald’s All-American player that he’s coached.

Tournament run

The Comets finished 27-3 and were in the title contest for the first time since 2016 when they were state runners-up. Mason completed this season as the No. 6-ranked team in the Division I state poll.

The team won 14 consecutive games, including a 54-35 triumph over Massillon Jackson in the state semifinal.

With that victory, the Comets earned Matula’s 400th career coaching win (girls and boys basketball combined over 34 years).

“We were there in 2016 and got beat by Wadsworth and in 2018 we were in the Final Four and got beat by Pickerington Central,” Matula said.

Matula started coaching high school basketball in 1998. He coached the boys’ programs at Talawanda (two seasons) and Cincinnati Sycamore (five seasons) and then 17 seasons as the Mason girls’ basketball coach.

Good defense key

Matula said his team has a strong work ethic.

“I knew we were going to be pretty good, but we had lost a lot from last year’s regional qualifying team. We lost a junior guard, whose family moved, she was our leading scorer from last year. So, we had a lot of missing pieces, but some very experienced juniors and a really nice freshman. I thought we had a chance.”

Freshman Madison Parrish stepped in and had a fine season. She scored 12 points in the state title game to go along with Oldacre’s 17.

“We did get hot in the tournament and played good defense. You’ve seen it any level, boys or girls,” he said.

“You have to play really good defense and make good adjustments against really good teams. Our kids bought into that. That kind of propelled us.”

Matula is optimistic with the return of four starters for next season — Parrish and juniors Amanda Barnes, Gabby Razzano and Joy Resig.

“We will be senior-dominant and very experienced regarding having played against good competition. That run in the tournament obviously fuels them to want to get back.”

Regarding Parrish, Matula sees improvement for the 5-foot-10 point guard.

“Madison is athletically gifted. She’s extremely athletic and fast,” Matula said. “She shoots it really well and gets it to the basket very well. Developing the intermediate game will be very important to her.

“She’s very coachable, has great court vision and is mature beyond her years when it comes to being able to handle what she had to handle for us.”

Winning culture

Matula credits talented players with building a program, along with a strong coaching staff.

“We’ve been blessed with a coaching staff that has been extremely stable, from my 7th grade all the way up. They’ve stuck around so we’ve had longevity with our assistants.”

The winning tradition was established prior to his arrival.

“Mason girls’ basketball was pretty dang good before I got there. They won a state championship in 2000 and had been to a couple of other state final fours in the late 90s.”

The kids have wanted to carry on that legacy, he said.

“You obviously need a great parent backing and my parents have been unbelievable over my 17 years. They’ve let me be who I am in regard to my coaching style. Our administration has been great in supporting girls’ basketball.”

“In one or two words, it’s been the stability of the people in our program,” he said.

Bucyrus roots

He played for former coach Phil Joseph, who is retiring after 42 years at Bucyrus.

“Playing for him had an effect on me as well as a number of other coaches, Don Herman was my 7th grade basketball coach, my own father (Bob) was a baseball coach at Bucyrus and a teacher for many, many years.”

His mother worked as a middle school secretary.

“We had a lot of influence when it came to the appreciation for what educators and coaches do for kids. The guidance they give outside the classroom,” Matula said.

“What coach Joseph did, he taught me how to apply a responsibility on players and what was expected of you and what you did helping the team be as good as it possibly could be. He knew how to relate with kids.”

Matula played point guard for the Redmen.

“I liked to penetrate and dish, and we liked to push the ball out. He did a good job of taking the talent that we had and allowing us to do what we did best. He let us be players.”

His teammates included Ken Tuttle, at 6-foot-6, Greg Ulmer, and Tom Baum. The Redmen finished 12-9, 9-5 in the old Northern Ohio League Matula’s senior year of 1983-84. Matula led the team in scoring with a 14 ppg. average.

“We had some nice players who really loved the game of basketball.”

Principles of coaching, support

Coaching youngsters today, Matula uses that same approach.

“I try to hold onto that in regard to being able to analyze your players each season; let them be who they are and yet give them guidance on what needs to be done.

“Our kids are very, very coachable. Things that were done 30 or 40 years ago can still be done today,” he said.

“You have to have the right way of showcasing that to your kids and they have to be willing. I am as emotional and I coach as hard as I did when I first started coaching 34 years ago.”

Matula admits, “I’ve probably calmed down, just with age. I’m still intense and I get emotionally wrapped up in my kids and my parents.

“I really truly believe that kids respond to people who show a genuine interest and emotional attachment to them. That’s why I’m still doing what I do.”

Matula credits his wife, Andi, with supporting his career.

“We started dating when we were 15. She has gone through me playing at Bucyrus and a year at Capital University. She’s been through it. My mom and dad, my brother and my kids still come to games.

“As long as I have that support and I continue to enjoy it, I’ll keep doing what I’m doing. At some point, I’ll have to hang it up.”

While winning a state championship would be a great accomplishment, that isn’t the legacy Matula is concerned with.

“It’s more about the kids and what they’re doing now, and the fact they still call me and still come to games. If you ever lose the relationship part of anything you’re doing, your life is going to be minimalized in some way. You’ve got to continue to strive to keep those relationships.”