Niesha Butler
11
5-8
Guard
New York, N.Y.
Riverdale Country School


2001-2002: Suspended for failure to comply with team academic regulations 10/10....reinstated following the completion of Fall semester and played in six games before deciding to leave program 1/14.

2000-2001: Pre-season candidate for the Naismith Player of the Year Award....named pre-season All-ACC at conference Media Day Oct. 22....hit 30 consecutive free throws 12/8 to 1/2....named ACC Player of the Week for Jan. 1-7 following Tech's upsets of North Carolina and Virginia....posted season-high 25 points in victory at North Carolina 1/2....scored 18 points along with eight rebounds and a career-best eight steals 1/25 at Wake Forest....voted third-team All-ACC....surpassed 1,000 point career-scoring plateau 3/15 in opening round of WNIT at Mississippi State....among a group of 36 top women's collegiate basketball players that participated in the 2001 USA Basketball Women's National Team Trials May 18-21 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

1999-2000: Pre-season first team All-ACC selection and pre-season candidate for the Naismith Player of the Year Award....sidelined for remainder of season after suffering torn anterior cruciate ligament as well as a partial tear of the medial collateral ligament and damage to the meniscus in left knee during 11/30 game against N.C. State....received medical red-shirt.

1998-1999: Unanimous selection as ACC Rookie of the Year....led the Lady Jackets and ranked second overall in the ACC in scoring with a 19.3 points per game average....also rated second among freshmen behind Linda Froehlich of UNLV (23.3 points per game)....averaged a league-leading 21.3 points per game against ACC rivals....also ranked among the top-10 overall in the ACC in assists, steals and free-throw percentage....scored 18 points to help Tech to first win of season 11/21 at Davidson....shared ACC Rookie of the Week honors 11/23....earned second consecutive Rookie of the Week award in helping Tech to wins over Mercer, Samford and Weber State....opened the week with a 12-point, six-rebound effort vs. Mercer....against Samford, scored 15 points, grabbed seven rebounds and distributed a career-high eight assists along with two steals and a block....added 13 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and three steals vs. Weber State to seal all-tournament team recognition for Georgia Tech/Atlanta Marriott Northwest Classic....posted new career-high with 27 points 12/3 at North Carolina....scored 24 points in upset of N.C. State 12/5 at Raleigh....received third consecutive ACC Rookie of the Week Award 12/7....after week off for exams, earned fourth ACC Rookie of the Week nod 12/21....named to all-tournament team for Georgia Tech Holiday Invitational after combining for 33 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists in victories over St. Francis and Lafayette....exploded for 40 points 1/2/99 vs. Florida State to help nail down fifth Rookie of the Week honor....added Rookie of the Week awards 1/25 and 2/1....named to the first team 1998-99 College All-Freshman team by the Women's Basketball News Service and the Women's Basketball Journal....earned second-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Basketball honors and was the only unanimous selection to the league's all-freshman team....also unanimous choice as ACC Rookie of the Year by the Atlantic Coast Sports Writers Association....named ACC Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press....was youngest invitee to the 1999 USA Basketball Women's World University Games Team Trials May 19-24 in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Member of USA Today's 1997-98 Super 25....preseason fourth team all-America selection by Street & Smith....also rated as No. 37 high school prospect in the nation by the Blue Star Index....established new career high school scoring record for boys and girls basketball in the city of New York during junior season breaking mark established by Kenny Anderson....missed first nine games of senior season with knee injury....came back to average 25 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals a game over the remainder of the campaign....surpassed 3,000 point plateau for her five-year varsity career 2/14/98....scored 23 points to lead Riverdale to the NYSAISAA Federation title with victory over Horace Mann 3/8/98....named Federation Class D MVP after recording 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists to help Riverdale to the state Class D girls basketball title with a 62-35 win over Bishop Loughlin 3/28/98 at Glens Falls, N.Y....finished prep career with 3,127 points....placed on All-Private school first team by the New York Daily News in 4/8/98 edition...named honorable mention preseason all-America by Street & Smith as sophomore and junior while playing at Columbia Prep....only female invited to compete in the first Super Six three-point shooting contest in New York...verbally committed to Georgia Tech during Jan. 11, 1998 press conference at Madison Square Garden...officially signed with Tech April 8, 1998.

Press Clippings:

  • 2/19/1999 CNNSI Spotlight.
  • 12/25/2000 New York Daily News feature.
  • Hear Niesha in action.



    SeasonGP-GSMINFG-FGAPCT.3PG-3PAPCT.FT-FTAPCT.PTSAVG.OFF-TOTAVG.AST.TOBLKSTLPF-D
    1998-199927-27807178-445.40030-84.357135-191.70752119.333-1365.0120155204786-3
    1999-20004-48021-48.4383-9.3338-11.7275313.32-174.31292115-0
    2000-200128-23800160-421.38027-84.32191-125.72843815.625-963.4729575383-3
    2001-20026-312218-61.2952-12.1679-19.474477.810-254.29121913-1