Georgetown women’s basketball coach Tasha Butts takes leave to focus on battle against breast cancer

Georgetown women’s basketball coach Tasha Butts is taking time away from the team to focus on her health in her ongoing battle against breast cancer, the school announced Thursday night.

Associate head coach Darnell Haney will take over in her absence.

Butts was diagnosed with advanced stage breast cancer in 2021. The diagnosis inspired the Tasha Tough campaign which has brought awareness and raised money to bring quality care to women who can’t afford it through the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.

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“Since her hiring in April, Tasha has proven to be a coach full of passion and drive,” said Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Lee Reed. “As she battles this terrible disease, she continues to be an inspiration to our student-athletes, coaches and staff, and we will support her in this fight. Her community stretches from coast-to-coast, and I know that now, more than ever, we will band together to be Tasha Tough.”

The 41-year-old Butts was hired as Georgetown’s head coach in April after several years as a college assistant elsewhere, including at Georgia Tech and LSU. She replaced James Howard, whose contract was not renewed after four consecutive losing seasons at the school.

Butts played college basketball at Tennessee from 2000-04 and played professionally in the WNBA and overseas.