Former Clemson Women’s Basketball Coach Lands With ACC Rival

Louisville will tap into former Clemson head coach Amanda Butler’s experience in ACC play next season.

Clemson Coach Amanda Butler during the first quarter at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C. Monday, November 6, 2023. / Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK

It didn’t take long for Amanda Butler to find a new job. As a bonus, she doesn’t have to change conferences.

Three months after she and Clemson parted ways, the former Tigers women’s basketball coach was hired as an assistant coach at ACC rival Louisville under head coach Jeff Walz.

This will be Butler’s first assistant job since she was the associate head coach at Charlotte from 2003-05. After that, she ascended to the head coach position at Charlotte for two seasons, followed by a decade at Florida and then six seasons at Clemson.

"Amanda Butler is a phenomenal coach and an exceptional leader,” Walz said in a press release announcing her hire. “Her commitment to excellence and her ability to connect with players on and off the court make her a perfect fit for our program. We are beyond excited to welcome her to Louisville."

Clemson hired Butler in 2018 and she immediately paid off by leading the Tigers to a 20-win season and the program’s first NCAA Tournament bid in 16 seasons.

But, she and the Tigers found it impossible to get back to March Madness. In her next five seasons the Tigers finished above .500 just one time — in 2022-23 — when they went 19-16 and reached the WNIT Super 16.

After the Tigers went 12-19 with a 5-13 record in ACC play, the Tigers made a change, releasing Butler and hiring Chattanooga’s Shawn Poppie to take over the program.

Butler was 81-106 in six seasons at Clemson. She is 311-264 in her career as a head coach.

"I am incredibly honored and excited to join the Louisville Cardinals," said Butler. "This is a prestigious program with a rich history and a passionate fan base. I look forward to working with Coach Walz and the talented student-athletes to achieve our goals and bring home championships."

The Mt. Juliet, Tenn., native played for Florida from 1990-94 and followed that with a three-year stint as a Florida assistant, followed by four years with Austin Peay before arriving at Charlotte in 2001.

It will be Poppie’s job to try and get the Tigers back to where they were under the legendary Jim Davis.

He took over the program in 1987-88 and immediately took them to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1981-82. In 18 seasons he led the Tigers to 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, including four Sweet 16 bids and an Elite Eight run in 1991.

Poppie has already gotten to work. He’s brought in eight transfers, three of which followed him from Chattanooga and he managed to convince two of last year’s players to withdraw from the transfer portal.