Tasha Butts, the head coach of Georgetown’s women’s basketball team and a two-time college national champion, has died after a two-year battle with breast cancer, the university’s athletic department announced Monday.
She was 41 years old.
Lee Reed, Georgetown’s athletics director, expressed sympathies to Butts’ loved ones following the tragic news of her passing.
“I am heartbroken for Tasha’s family, friends, players, teammates and colleagues,” in a statement.
“When I met Tasha, I knew she was a winner on the court, and an incredible person whose drive, passion and determination was second to none. She exhibited these qualities both as a leader and in her fight against breast cancer. This is a difficult time for the entire Georgetown community, and we will come together to honor her memory.”
Butts became head coach of the Hoyas earlier this year after working on Georgia Tech’s staff as an assistant since 2019.
She was on Georgia Tech’s staff when the team snapped UConn’s 240-game winning streak against unranked opponents in 2021.
Georgia Tech head coach Nell Fortner said Butts “was so instrumental to the success” of the school’s program.
“The 🅺news of Tasha’s passing is incredibl✨y sad,” .
“Tasha was so instrumental to the succ🐻ess of this program. What she did as a member of this coaching staff cannot be overvalued. She was tough – tough on her kids, tough in her expectations, but yet she was soft underneath when players needed her to be there for them, and she was always there for them. We are incredibly sad this day has come. She battled from the day of her diagnosis. We are prou🧸d of her fight to the end. We will forever love Tasha. She will forever be missed.”
Butts also worked as an assistant for LSU, UCLA and Duquesne before joining the Yellow Jacket📖s.
She played at Tennessee for her collegiate c🐻areer under a coaching legend, the late Pat Summitt, and was part of teams that won back-to-back national championships in 2003 and 2004.
During her senior season in 2004, Butts earned second-team All-SEC honors♍, scoring 10.4 points per game.
Butts played professionally for the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx, Charlotte Sting and Houston Comets, as well as overseas in Portugal and Israel.
“Tasha’s passing is a devastating loss. She was extraordinary—Tasha was a person of character, determination, vision, and kindness,” Georgetown President John J. DeGioia said in a statement.
“She will be deeply missed by our community and by so many people around the country who have been inspired by her life. We offer her family our most sincere condolences.”
