RIP Tasha Butts

[DaBball]

Simply devastating. Prayers for her friends and family.

 

[choclate45]

Devastating. My condolences go to her friends and family.

 

[DeeHusky]

Oh wow. Heartbreaking. Prayers for Tasha and her family and the Tennessee, LSU and Georgetown Communities.

 

[GCKSFN4L]

I hate this so much.

 

[Iluvacc2]

Oh no! My condolences to her loved ones.

 

[Jumper33]

This is just heartbreaking, rest in peace Tasha

 

[Urshurak]

Just saw this alert on my phone. RIP. Great coach and great person. She will be missed.

 

[kat0189]

I remember her as a player as it was right when I started following WBB. She often guarded Diana during the height of the rivalry. I distinctly recall her trying to contest an impossible three DT drained and Tasha just looking up at the ceiling exasperated but smiling. A great competitor who gave it her whole heart. Also spent time at UCLA coaching. Prayers to her loved ones.

 

[bballnut90]

Wow just awful. Can't believe we've lost both Nikki McCray-Penson and Tasha Butts to breast cancer in such a short time frame. Both were so young. Rest in peace and prayers to her loved ones.

 

[militarydog]

Heartbreaking. Rest In Peace. Praying for the family and friends. Gone way too young.

 

[JDuro]

Rest In Peace, Coach Butts.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

Darn, darn, darn! What a loss for her family and the world of WBB. Butts was a fierce competitor on the court and spent many years impacting young women at various programs. Forty one is too young to leave this world.

My sympathies to her family and the basketball communities she impacted.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Sad to hear. As noted above, 2 Tennessee greats in the same year. Gone too soon.

 

[triaddukefan]

Rest In Peace Coach Butts

 

[JellyBean]

Very sad news. Sending prayers and condolences to Coach Tasha and her family in their hour of need. Heartbreaking on so many levels.

 

[bballnut90]

For those who weren't familiar with her playing career, Butts was an excellent and underrated player for Tennessee during her 4 years. She was a solid rotation player throughout her career, but really blossomed the second half of her senior year after starting PG Loree Moore went down with an ACL midseason. Butts rose to the occasion and had some brilliant Caitlin Clark-esque games (37 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists vs Vandy, and 25/10/8 vs Arkansas) and helped guide Tennessee to another SEC Championship. In the NCAA tournament she came through in the clutch and hit some (controversial) game winning FTs against Baylor in the Sweet 16, then hit a game winner against Stanford to get Tennessee to its 3rd straight Final Four. They eventually lost in the title game to a Taurasi led UCONN squad. She played 1 year in the WNBA and a few years overseas before starting a coaching career.

She was a long time assistant/associate head coach (15+ years), and was set to take over Georgetown this upcoming season in her first head coaching gig. Her passing is major loss for the women's basketball community, she was active in the sport her entire life. May she rest in peace.

 

[FormerCTrez]

Sympathies and condolences to the Butts Family. Coach Butts, may your light continuously shine in all the lives you impacted. Like Coach McCray, you had so much more to offer, so much more to share with women, especially young women, but God had other plans. You’re gone too soon from this earth, but your spirit will live on. RIP!!