Tasha Butts, the coach of Georgetown’s women’s basketball team, passed away on Monday following a two-year fight with breast cancer, according to the school’s athletic director.
In 2021, the coach, 41, received a diagnosis of advanced-stage breast cancer. Last month, she stopped coaching Georgetown. Her diagnosis served as the impetus for the Tasha Tough campaign, which generated funds and increased awareness in order to provide Kay Yow Cancer Fund-eligible women with high-quality care.
Georgetown’s athletic director Lee Reed said, “I am heartbroken for Tasha’s family, friends, players, teammates, and coworkers. “When I first met Tasha, I could tell she was a winner on the court and a remarkable person with unmatched drive, passion, and commitment. She demonstrated these traits both in her role as a leader and in her battle with breast cancer. We will band together to pay tribute to her memory even though this is a trying time for the entire Georgetown community.
She left Georgia Tech for Georgetown this past April following a protracted coaching and WNBA career. In April 2019, she became an assistant coach for the Georgia Tech women’s basketball team. Two years later, she was given the position of associate head coach.
The Georgia Tech coach Nell Fortner described the demise of Tasha as “extremely sad news.” “Tasha played a crucial role in this program’s success. It is impossible to undervalue what she accomplished while serving on our coaching staff. Although she was stern on her children and in her demands, she was gentle on the inside and always there for the players when they needed her.
Butts made the announcement that she had been diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer in 2021 while still attending Georgia Tech.
“The loss caused by Tasha’s demise is immense. John J. DeGioia, the president of Georgetown, remarked of her, “She was amazing. “Tasha was a person of integrity, willpower, foresight, and kindness. Our neighborhood as well as the many Americans who were motivated by her life will mourn her terribly.
Georgetown appointed assistant Darnell Haney as acting head coach after Butts left last month. He claimed last week that he had maintained regular communication with Butts throughout her therapy.
“We kept her informed about the program’s developments. Send her a text message to let her know how practice and the conference went. “Make her smile and do anything to distract her from what she was going through. We will send her the practice video.
Every Tuesday in October, teams from across the nation would upload films to social media in an effort to cheer Butts up and let her know she wasn’t fighting cancer alone.
Butts worked as an assistant first at Duquesne, UCLA, and LSU before becoming a coach at Georgia Tech. She played with the Tigers for eight seasons.
Kim Mulkey, the head coach at LSU, remarked that Tasha was a tremendous player who later went on to have a prosperous coaching career. “More importantly, she changed a lot of lives during her lifetime. We are sorry that she passed away at such a young age.
Butts was a standout player under Pat Summitt, a Hall of Fame coach, at Tennessee from 2000 to 2004. She participated in the Lady Vols’ 124-17 record and helped them reach the NCAA semifinals in 2003 and 2004. At the university, she played for four teams that won the SEC regular-season championship.
Tennessee coach Kellie Harper expressed her program’s heartbreak at the loss of a Lady Vol sister “much, much too soon.” “Tasha was the kind of girl who struck up conversations with people wherever she went. Not just on our Tennessee family, but on women’s basketball in general, she had such a positive influence.
Following her selection by the Minnesota Lynx as the 20th pick in the 2004 draft, she had a brief stint in the WNBA. Houston, Charlotte, and Minnesota were her teams.
Butts’ parents Spencer Sr. and Evelyn, brother Spencer Jr., and nephew Marquis are still alive.