Georgetown women’s basketball coach Tasha Butts, 41, has died after being diagnosed two years ago with advanced-stage metastatic breast cancer, Georgetown announced Monday.
Georgetown hired Butts in April after nearly two decades as an assistant coach, spanning multiple conferences. He spent four seasons as an assistant and associate head coach at Georgia Tech, eight seasons as an assistant at LSU, three seasons as an assistant at UCLA and one season at Duquesne.
“The news of Tasha’s passing is incredibly sad,” Georgia Tech coach Nell Fortner said in a release. “Tasha has been instrumental in the success of this program. What she’s done as a member of this coaching staff can’t be undervalued. She’s tough — tough on her kids, tough on her expectations, but she’s soft underneath when The players needed him to be there for them, and he was always there for them. We are incredibly sad that this day has come. He fought from the day of his diagnosis. We are proud of his fight to the end . We will love Tasha forever. She will be missed forever.”
As a player, Butts had an impressive career as a guard at Tennessee playing for Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt. She left Tennessee ranked fourth all-time in games played (141), won four SEC regular-season titles and helped the Lady Vols to two national title games.
Butts is a coach who is respected and liked at the highest level of women’s basketball. After Butts stepped down from coaching last month, several women’s college programs — spanning several conferences and levels — participated in the Tasha Tough campaign to raise funds for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, specifically raising of money for women who cannot afford quality health care. .
The Lady Vols are #TashaTough!
Sending our love to LVFL @TashaButtsHoyas 🧡 pic.twitter.com/Z1HjzQbGYg
— Lady Vols Basketball (@LadyVol_Hoops) October 17, 2023
with us @TashaButtsHoyas to another #TashaToughTuesday! #EarnedNeverGiven #HoyaSaxa pic.twitter.com/1oMokYtHVa
— Georgetown WBB (@GeorgetownWBB) October 17, 2023
Georgetown announced that Butts is survived by his parents, Spencer, Sr. and Evelyn, his sister Spencer, Jr. and his nephew the Marquis.
News of Butts’ passing will hit the women’s basketball community especially hard as many continue to mourn former Mississippi State coach and longtime assistant Nikki McCray-Penson, who died this summer after being diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time. On Sunday, South Carolina and Rutgers, two programs where McCray-Penson spent time as an assistant, played in an exhibition game that raised money for In the Middle, an organization that provides assistance to those undergoing breast cancer treatment.
(Photo: Courtesy of Georgetown Athletics)
