Niya Butts

Last updated

Niya Butts
Current position
TitleAssociate head coach
Team Kentucky
Conference SEC
Biographical details
Born (1978-01-10) January 10, 1978 (age 46)
Americus, Georgia
Playing career
1996–2000 Tennessee
Position(s) Forward
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2000–2002 Tennessee Tech (asst.)
2002–2003 Michigan State (asst.)
2003–2008 Kentucky (asst.)
2008–2016 Arizona
2016–presentKentucky (asst.)
Head coaching record
Overall102–147 (.410)

Niya Denise Butts (born January 10, 1978) [1] is an American women's college basketball coach, currently associate head coach at the University of Kentucky. [2] She is the former head coach at the University of Arizona. As a player, she was a part of two national championships at the University of Tennessee.

Contents

Butts, a 6'0" forward from Americus, Georgia, played college basketball for Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt at Tennessee from 1996 to 2000. She was a reserve for the Lady Vols, averaging 2.3 points and 1.2 rebounds per game, but was a part of National Championship teams in both 1997 and 1998. She was also a three-time Southeastern Conference All-Academic selection. [3]

Following the close of her playing career, Butts entered the coaching ranks by taking an assistant coach role at Tennessee Tech in 2000. After two years there, she spent a season at Michigan State, then moved to the University of Kentucky as an assistant for head coach Mickie DeMoss. She was promoted to associate head coach for the 2007–08 season.

In 2008, she was named the first African-American head women's basketball coach at Arizona. [4] On March 4, 2016, she coached her last game for Arizona at the Pac-12 tournament.

On May 14, 2016, the University of Kentucky announced that Butts would be returning to the women's basketball program as an assistant coach under head coach Matthew Mitchell. [5]

Head Coaching Record

Statistics overview
SeasonTeamOverallConferenceStandingPostseason
Arizona (Pac-12 Conference)(2008–present)
2008–09Arizona 12–194–14T–8th
2009–10Arizona 14–176–128th
2010–11Arizona 21–1210–8T–4th WNIT First Round
2011–12Arizona 15–173–1512th
2012–13Arizona 12–184–14T–11th
2013–14Arizona 5–251–1712th
2014–15Arizona 10–203–15T–11th
2015–16Arizona 13–193–1511th
Arizona:102–147 (.410)34–110 (.236)
Total:102–147 (.410)

      National champion        Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion        Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion      Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Summitt</span> American basketball player and coach (1952–2016)

Patricia Susan Summitt was an American women's college basketball head coach who accrued 1,098 career wins, the most in college basketball history at the time of her retirement. She served as the head coach of the University of Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team from 1974 to 2012.

Nicole Kristen Powell is an American basketball coach who was the head women's basketball coach at University of California, Riverside. As a player, she had a standout collegiate career at Stanford University, Powell had an 11-year WNBA career most notably with the Sacramento Monarchs where she was an All-Star and won a WNBA Championship. Powell also played professionally overseas for Fenerbahçe Istanbul. Powell had previously served on the coaching staffs at Gonzaga, Oregon, and Grand Canyon before being named the head coach of UC Riverside in March 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geno Auriemma</span> Italian-born American womens basketball coach

Luigi "Geno" Auriemma is an Italian-born American college basketball coach and, since 1985, the head coach of the University of Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team. As of 2021, he has led UConn to 17 undefeated conference seasons, of which six were undefeated overall seasons, with 11 NCAA Division I national championships, the most in women's college basketball history, and has won eight national Naismith College Coach of the Year awards. Auriemma was the head coach of the United States women's national basketball team from 2009 through 2016, during which time his teams won the 2010 and 2014 World Championships, and gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics, going undefeated in all four tournaments. Auriemma was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Suzie McConnell-Serio is a former American women's basketball coach and player. She was the head coach for the women's basketball team at the University of Pittsburgh from 2013 to 2018. In 2004, she was named WNBA Coach of the Year as coach of the Minnesota Lynx. She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yolanda Griffith</span> Basketball player

Yolanda Evette Griffith is an American professional basketball hall of fame player who played in both the ABL and WNBA. A former WNBA MVP, she is considered one of the greatest rebounders and defensive players in the history of Women's Basketball. She last played in the WNBA as a member of the Indiana Fever. In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the top 15 players in WNBA history. She is sometimes called by her nicknames: "Yo" and "Yo-Yo". Since retiring from the professional ranks, Griffith was as assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is currently an assistant coach with the Boston College Eagles. Griffith was inducted into the 2014 Women's Basketball Hall of Fame's class on her first year of eligibility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Mulkey</span> Basketball player and coach (born 1962)

Kimberly Duane Mulkey is an American college basketball coach and former player. She is the head coach for Louisiana State University's women's basketball team. A Pan-American gold medalist in 1983 and Olympic gold medalist in 1984, she became the first person in NCAA women's basketball history to win a national championship as a player, assistant coach, and head coach. She has won NCAA championships as the coach of Baylor in 2005, 2012, and 2019 and of LSU in 2023. Mulkey was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000 and into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lin Dunn</span> American basketball coach

Lin Dunn is an American women's basketball coach, currently general manager with the Indiana Fever. She is most known for being the first coach and general manager for the Seattle Storm. She has more than 500 wins to her name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gail Goestenkors</span> American basketball coach

Gail Ann Goestenkors is an American basketball coach who is currently an assistant coach for the Kentucky Wildcats women's basketball team.

Adia Oshun Barnes is an American basketball coach and former player. She is currently the head coach of the University of Arizona Wildcats women's basketball. She played at the collegiate level for the University of Arizona, and played seven seasons in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) with the Houston Comets, Seattle Storm, Minnesota Lynx, and Sacramento Monarchs. She has played internationally with Dynamo Kiev in Ukraine. Barnes has also served as a TV color analyst for Seattle Storm game broadcasts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joker Phillips</span> American football player and coach (born 1963)

Joe "Joker" Phillips Jr. is an American football coach and former player. He is the assistant head football coach and wide receivers coach at North Carolina State University, a position he had held since the 2021 season. Phillips served as the head football coach at the University of Kentucky from 2010 to 2012.

Mickie Faye DeMoss is a former American college basketball coach and player. She was the women's head coach at the University of Florida and the University of Kentucky. She was also an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech University, University of Tennessee, University of Texas, Auburn University, Memphis State University, and the WNBA's Indiana Fever. DeMoss was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018 as a Contributor - Assistant Coach. She retired after 45 years of coaching basketball in some capacity in July 2022, while chief of staff for Georgia Tech women's basketball.

Tasha Butts was an American basketball player. She played for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was an assistant coach at several NCAA schools over 17 seasons. She was hired as the head coach of the Georgetown Hoyas women's basketball team, but died of breast cancer before her first game as a head coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murray State Racers</span> Athletic teams of Murray State University, Kentucky US

The Murray State Racers are the athletic teams that represent Murray State University (MSU), located in Murray, Kentucky, United States, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, primarily competing in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) since the 2022–23 academic year. The Racers previously competed in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) from 1948–49 to 2021–22; and in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1933–34 to 1947–48.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carolyn Peck</span> American basketball player, coach, sports broadcaster

Carolyn Arlene Peck is an American television sportscaster and former college basketball coach. She was the head coach for the women's basketball teams of Purdue University and the University of Florida, and also the first head coach-general manager in the history of the WNBA's Orlando Miracle. Peck was also an associate head coach for her alma mater, Vanderbilt University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shea Ralph</span> American college basketball player and coach

Shea Sydney Ralph is a former collegiate basketball player and current head coach for the Vanderbilt Commodores women's basketball team. She was previously an assistant coach at UConn from 2008 to 2021. Ralph was proficient in multiple sports, set state high school records in basketball, and earned multiple national player of the year awards in high school and college. She helped win a national championship as a player at the University of Connecticut in 2000 and won numerous individual awards, including the Sports Illustrated for Women Player of the Year and the Honda Sports Award for the best collegiate female athlete in basketball. She suffered five ACL injuries in her career, two of which led to sitting out the 1997–98 season. Ralph was drafted by the WNBA Utah Starzz, but recurring knee problems prevented her from embarking on a professional career. Ralph started her coaching career as an assistant coach at the University of Pittsburgh in 2003.

Chrissie Roberts is an American college basketball coach and the former women's head coach at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) in Richmond, Kentucky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holly Warlick</span> American college basketball coach (born 1958)

Frances Hollingsworth "Holly" Warlick is an American college basketball coach who was head coach for the Tennessee Lady Volunteers. She replaced head coach Pat Summitt prior to the 2012–13 season and held the position until the end of the 2018–19 season. Warlick was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001.

Patricia "Trish" Roberts is an American basketball coach and former player. She was most recently the head coach of the women's basketball team at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chattanooga Mocs women's basketball</span> Womens college basketball team

The Chattanooga Mocs women's basketball team, formerly known as the Lady Mocs, represents the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in NCAA women's basketball competition. The team is currently led by head coach Shawn Poppie, and play their home games at McKenzie Arena.

Ali-Marie "JR" Payne is an American college basketball coach who is currently head women's coach at Colorado.

References

  1. "Women's Basketball Coaches Career". NCAA. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  2. Kyra Elzy will not coach vs. Indiana due to non-COVID health reasons: Associate head coach Niya Butts will step in and coach the Wildcats.
  3. "2011–12 Tennessee Women's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). University of Tennessee. 2011. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
  4. "University of Arizona coaching biography" (http). University of Arizona. 2011. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
  5. "Former Arizona Head Coach Niya Butts Named Assistant Coach". WLEX-TV. 2016. Retrieved May 14, 2016.