Niya Butts Position: Head Coach Experience: Third Year Alma Mater: Tennessee, 2000

ENERGETIC. PASSIONATE. DRIVEN. WINNER.

These are words often used to describe Arizona women's basketball coach Niya Butts. One of the most sought after young coaches in the country, Butts eagerly accepted the responsibility to continue to build on the strong tradition of Arizona women's basketball and to take the program to new heights. She is the eighth head coach in the program's history and is the first African American female head coach at the University of Arizona.

Arizona named Butts its new women's basketball head coach on April 3, 2008, ushering in a new era in Wildcat women's basketball.

"We are absolutely thrilled to be starting a new era with Niya as our head coach," said former athletic director Jim Livengood. "She brings playing experience, championship experience, coaching and recruiting experience and a bright, young mind. I can attest that we had a number of quality candidates for this job, but the direction we expect to head with Niya gives us immediate cause for optimism and downright anticipation. I believe everyone connected with the program will soon share those feelings -- let's get this thing started. "

In just two seasons, Butts has achieved a number of milestones early on in her head coaching career. She led the Wildcats to a tournament championship in the first weekend of her career in Hawaii, then helped the Wildcats to the 2nd round of the Pac-10 Tournament. This past season, the Wildcats posted their highest win total in five seasons while also achieving the most Pac-10 wins for the program in that same span.

Butts came to Tucson from the University of Kentucky where she spent five seasons as an assistant coach. In her final season in Lexington, she served as Kentucky's associate head coach, and was the program's recruiting coordinator for three seasons. While at UK, Butts secured two top-10 recruiting classes, solidifying her status as one of the best young coaching talents in the nation.

"It is an amazing feeling to be the head coach at Arizona," Butts said. "This is the opportunity I have been waiting for. Arizona is a place where you can consistently attract some of the country's top athletes. With our strong academic reputation, state-of-the-art facilities and overall support from the athletics administration and community, I believe that we can compete not only for conference titles but also on the national level. I am dedicated at working tirelessly to ensure that our student-athletes excel in the classroom, on the court and as proud giving members of the Tucson community."

Butts is no stranger to rebuilding programs. During her tenure at Kentucky, Butts helped coach the Wildcats to an 88-72 record (.550) over five seasons, with a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2005-06 and three WNIT appearances. This past season, Butts helped lead Kentucky to a 17-16 overall record, an 8-6 mark in the SEC for a fourth-place finish, and a WNIT quarterfinal appearance.

Before her stint at Kentucky, Butts spent the 2002-03 season as an assistant coach at Michigan State. Butts helped coach MSU to a 17-12 overall record that season and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the Spartans' first since 1997. Prior to Michigan State, Butts spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, Tenn., leading the Golden Eaglettes to two Ohio Valley Conference regular-season championships in both 2001 and 2002.

Butts played collegiately at the University of Tennessee for Pat Summitt, where she was a four-year letter winner and a member of two NCAA Championship teams (1997, 1998). The Lady Vols won three SEC titles (1998, 1999, 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, 2000) and earned Tennessee'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.

Butts, 32, is a native of Americus, Ga.

Coaching Career
2008-Present: Head Coach, Arizona
2007-08: Associate Head Coach, Kentucky
2003-07: 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

What They Say About Butts

Pat Summitt, University of Tennessee Head Coach
"Niya Butts is one of the bright young coaches in the women's collegiate game. I see this as a tremendous opportunity for her to take over the reins of her own program at Arizona and to compete in one of the nation's best conferences - the Pac 10. I see her taking the same qualities I saw in her as a player en route to two NCAA Championships - doing all the little things right - and applying them as a head coach at the University of Arizona."

Lin Dunn, Indiana Fever Head Coach
"Wow, Arizona sure hit the jackpot. The great thing about Niya is that she has the experience of playing at the championship level and she has great experience coaching in the SEC. That experience will benefit her in building Arizona into a national power. I can't think of a better young coach to take over at Arizona. She is the best of the best."

Matthew Mitchell, University of Kentucky Head Coach
"I am thrilled for Niya. She is extremely deserving of her position at Arizona. I have worked with no one in my career that has her unique combination of skills to excel as a coach. I have no doubt in my mind that she will turn Arizona into one of the top programs in the country that will last for many years. She helped take Kentucky from the bottom of the SEC to being one of the top-four teams in a short period of time, a testament to her ability to recruit and coach."

Debbie Antonelli, TV Analyst
"I have watched Niya in practice and during shoot-arounds and she is one of the most capable and well-prepared young coaches I have seen in the business. She has the pedigree of a champion and I know she will take Arizona to new levels. I am excited for Niya, Arizona, and the Pac-10 to get a young, aggressive, innovative coach to challenge the league quickly. Her hard work during her playing days carried over to the sidelines, and I believe the future will be bright for the Arizona basketball program."

Mickie DeMoss, Former Kentucky Head Coach
"Niya is certainly one of the game's up and coming young coaches in the country. I've known her since 10th grade when I recruited her as a player to Tennessee. I had the opportunity to hire her at Kentucky, and she hit the road running, making a huge difference to that program, notably in recruiting. She is a driven young lady, very mature and very focused. Arizona is very fortunate to have her."