Georgetown’s Tasha Butts Dies at 41 After Two-Year Cancer Battle

The Hoyas hired her in April. This would have been her first season as a head coach.

The Georgetown University athletic department announced Monday that women’s basketball coach Tasha Butts has died after a two-year battle with breast cancer. She was 41 years old.

“I am heartbroken for Tasha’s family, friends, players, teammates and colleagues,” Georgetown athletic director Lee Reed said in a press release. “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.”

The Hoyas hired Butts in April from Georgia Tech, where she served as associate head coach. She was hired as an assistant coach with the Yellow Jackets in April 2019 and was promoted in April 2022. While there, she helped lead the team to back-to-back NCAA tournament berths. 

Before that, she served as an assistant coach at LSU, UCLA and Duquesne. During her playing days, she was a standout at Tennessee and subsequently was selected by the Minnesota Lynx in the second round of the 2004 WNBA draft. She played one year professionally. 

“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 the press release. “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.”