Tasha Butts is a true Baldwin High School legend, a shining example of what it means to be a Bravette. Graduating in 2000, Tasha Butts was a consensus high school All-American, and was awarded the Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year award. Her high school jersey, No. 23, was even retired in December of the same year. "We had such a great coaching staff," Butts recalled, "with Coach Anderson Bentley, Earnest Franklin, Val Chambers and, God rest his soul, Terry Moore, who was also my cousin. We grew up from middle school playing together, and then moved up into the high school, and we had a lot of success."
Following high school, Butts went on to attend the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Sports Management with a Minor in Business Administration. During her time at Tennessee, Butts was a member of four regular season SEC Championship Teams, three Final Fours and two National Championship games her junior and senior seasons. "Fortunately for me, I had a great family that pushed me to believe in myself," Butts said, "When you're from a small town like Milledgeville, you have to dream big."
Butts's accolades don't end there. In 2004, she was named to the All-NCAA Midwest Regional Team, as well as the All-SEC Team and AP All-SEC Team. She was also honored for her contributions off the court, being named to the All-SEC Community team. At the University of Tennessee, Tasha etched her name in the record books, ranking 11th on the single-game scoring list with 37 points. She also shares the record for single-game 3-point percentage, going 6-6 (100%) from beyond the arc.
"In any sport or any professional field you may choose to pursue, there needs to be discipline if you're going to be great. If you're going to go beyond the average person, you've got to do more," Butts said, "I know, prior to my time, Baldwin High School had some championships. We went to two back-to-back Final Fours and played in one State Championship game in my senior season. But now Kizzi Trawick (Walker) has done a phenomenal job of bringing back that recognition to Baldwin County and the Bravette Girls Basketball Program. Obviously, there's an expectation, but it's work."
"In any sport or any professional field you may choose to pursue, there needs to be discipline if you're going to be great."
Post graduation, Butts traveled all over the world, playing professional basketball in Portugal, Israel, and in the WNBA for the Houston Comets, Charlotte Sting, and Minnesota Lynx. But Tasha's achievements extend far beyond basketball. In August of 2004, the city of Milledgeville awarded her the Key to the City and proclaimed it "Tasha Butts Day," and in 2022, Butts became a national advocate for equal access to quality health care during her breast cancer prognosis. "Success is not a straight line," she said, "you're going to take your bumps and you're going to take your bruises. There's always going to be adversity. But if you set goals for yourself, whether it's in sport, higher education, or whether you want to be a lawyer or a dentist, set goals and give yourself grace."
Today, Tasha Butts is making her mark as the Associate Head Coach/ Defensive Coordinator for the Georgia Tech Women’s Basketball Team. Her passion for the game and commitment to excellence continue to inspire those around her, and her legacy as a Baldwin High School Bravette lives on.
