Georgetown Women's Basketball Coach Tasha Butts Dead at 41

Tasha Butts, the head coach of the Georgetown Hoyas women's basketball team, died on Monday, the school's athletic director announced. She was 41 years old. Butts died after battling cancer for the last two years. She stepped away from coaching last month, and the diagnosis inspired the Tasha Tough campaign which brought awareness and raised money to bring care to women who can't afford it. 

"I am heartbroken for Tasha's family, friends, players, teammates and colleagues," Georgetown athletic director Lee Reed said 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."

It is with profound sadness that we mourn the passing of former Georgia Tech associate head coach, Tasha Butts. ⁰⁰

You are a Legend. Rest in Peace. https://t.co/KWLkfgzvMM pic.twitter.com/vzzZ4U7VAy

— Georgia Tech Women's Basketball (@GTWBB) October 23, 2023

Butts was hired to be Georgetown's head coach in April after spending the the last four years at Georgia Tech as an associate head coach. She also spent time as an assistant coach at LSU, UCLA and Duquesne. Butts played college basketball at Tennessee and was selected in the second round by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2004 WNBA Draft.

When Butts stepped away from coaching last month, assistant coach Darnell Haney was named interim head coach. Haney said last week that he was in constant contact with Butts while she was undergoing treatment. "We kept her up to date with what's going on with the program. Shoot her a text on how practice went, how things are going in the conference," he said, per the Associated Press. "Do stuff to make her smile and keep her mind off what she was going through. We'd send her film from practice."

During her time at Georgia Tech, Butts helped guide the team to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, two 20-plus win seasons and nine wins over ranked opponents. It was a homecoming for Butts as she attended Baldwin High School in Milledgeville, Georgia, where she was a consensus All-American and the Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year. 

"The news of Tasha's passing is incredibly sad," Georgia Tech head coach Nell Fortner said. "Tasha was so instrumental to the success 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 proud of her fight to the end. We will forever love Tasha. She will forever be missed."