1 - University of Kentucky Athletics

Former Tennessee Lady Vol
standout Niya Butts is in
her fifth year as an assistant
coach at Kentucky, her first as
associate head coach and third
as the recruiting coordinator.
Butts, considered to be one of
the top young coaches in the business, works
closely with the guards. Butts’ knowledge of the
game and attention to detail will continue to be
an asset on the Wildcat bench.
“Niya and I complement each other better
than any coach I’ve been around,” UK Coach
Matthew Mitchell said. “That gives me a tremendous
amount of confidence and comfort because I
know that she helps balance me out in a way that
can impact us significantly. She has the highest
Niya Butts
Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator
Niya Butts enters her fifth season on the sidelines at Kentucky
level of integrity, which is very key for us with the
way that we want to operate. She is a tireless
worker and loves Kentucky basketball. She is one
of the greatest assets I think our university has.”
Under Butts’ guidance, the Wildcats have
advanced to a school-record three consecutive
postseason tournaments.
In 2006-07, the Wildcats finished in the third
round of the WNIT and charted their second
consecutive 20-win season. In 2005-06, UK finished
in the top four of the Southeastern Conference,
its highest finish in 23 years. The Cats also
advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first
time in seven years.
UK guard Samantha Mahoney was named to
the All-SEC second team for the second consecutive
season after being an All-SEC freshman selection
in 2004-05. Sophomore guard Carly Ormerod
also earned her second All-SEC nomination.
With Butts at the helm of the recruiting
efforts, Kentucky nabbed their second top 10 and
fourth consecutive top 25 recruiting class with the
addition of Catina Bett, Victoria Dunlap, Amber
Smith, and Carly Morrow. The freshmen class
was No. 9 nationally according to the All-Star
Girls Report.
In her seven-year career as an assistant coach,
Butts has compiled an impressive 134-82 overall
record (62.0%).
Butts came to the Bluegrass in April 2003 after
one season as an assistant coach at Michigan State
under head coach Joanne P. McCallie. Butts helped
coach the Spartans to a 17-12 overall record in the
2002-03 season and an appearance in the NCAA
Tournament for the first time since 1997. The
Spartans finished with a 10-6 mark in the Big Ten
and recorded wins over three nationally ranked
teams, including two wins over top-10 teams for the
first time in school history. Prior to MSU, Butts
spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Tennessee
Technological University in Cookeville, Tenn. The
Golden Eaglettes won the Ohio Valley Conference
With Butts at the helm of the recruiting efforts, Kentucky nabbed
their second top 10 and fourth consecutive top 25 recruiting class
with the addition of Catina Bett, Victoria Dunlap, Amber Smith,
and Carly Morrow. The freshmen class was No. 9 nationally
according to the All-Star Girls Report.
(OVC) regular-season championship in both 2001
and 2002. Tech finished with a 24-6 overall mark in
Butts’ first season and compiled a 22-8 record and
were the OVC co-champions with a 13-3 record in
77 • 2007-08 Women’s Basketball
her second year.
At Tennessee, Butts was a four-year letter winner
and a member of two NCAA Championship
teams (1997 and 1998). The Lady Vols won three
SEC titles (1998, 1999 and 2000) during her
tenure and she was voted the SEC’s Defensive
Player of the Year in 1997. She also won the Lady
Vols’ Unsung Hero Award that season. Butts was a
three-time Academic All-SEC selection (1998,
1999 and 2000) and earned UT’s Academic
Achiever of the Week four times. She played in
111 career games at UT and graduated in 2000
with a bachelor’s degree in social work and a
minor in psychology. She received a master’s
degree in education from Tennessee Tech in 2002.
“Kentucky has always been a place I wanted to
coach,” Butts said. “Coach Mitchell embodies
everything that we stand for at UK. I’ve worked
with him before and I couldn’t be in a better situation
or be at a better place to be coaching
women’s basketball. I’m excited for this opportunity
and I know I’ll learn a lot from Coach
Mitchell and continue growing as a coach.”
The 29-year old is a native of Americus, Ga.
Coaching Career
2003-Present: Assistant Coach, Kentucky
2002-2003: Assistant Coach, Michigan State
2000-2002: Assistant Coach, Tennessee Tech
Playing Career at Tennessee
Four-year letter winner ... Helped the Lady Vols
advance to four straight NCAA tournaments, including
back-to-back NCAA championship titles (1997 and 1998),
NCAA runners-up (2000) and the Elite Eight (1999) ... With
Butts’ help, the Lady Vols also became three-time SEC
Champions (1998, 1999, 2000) ... Played in 111 contests
with three starts ... Three-time Academic All-SEC selection.
Personal
Full Name: Niya Denise Butts
Birthday: 1/10/78
Hometown: Americus, Ga.
High School: Americus High School
College: Tennessee, ’00
Degree: Bachelor of science degree in social work with a
minor in psychology; Master’s degree in education
On Kentucky:
“Kentucky is a wonderful place to be a coach and
player. The administration and fans are very supportive
and with the addition of our new state-of-the-art practice
facility the opportunities to develop and improve your
game are limitless.”