WBB: Syracuse Guard Tasia Butler Transfers To James Madison

In 2012, the Syracuse Orange lost to the James Madison Dukes in the WNIT semifinals. On Thursday, the Dukes struck again.

Tasia Butler, the Waldorf, M.D. native, has transferred to James Madison after one season at Syracuse.  The 6-1 guard will sit out the upcoming season, but has three years of eligibility remaining.  She played in 16 games for Syracuse, averaging just 0.7 points and 0.9 rebounds per game.  She scored a season-high three points in 15 minutes against Maryland Eastern Shore.

Bret McCormick first reported the transfer on Mar. 31.  SU Athletics did not respond for comment on the report, when contacted last month.

Butler, a four-star recruit coming out of high school, said then that her college choices were so close athletically and academically that the tie-breaker was family.  Her older sister Tiara will be a redshirt senior for Syracuse next year.

Tasia Butler also considered Georgetown and Miami (FL), in addition to James Madison.  Dukes head coach Kenny Brooks said his team recruited Butler "heavily" when she was in high school, according to Virginia reporter Matthew Stoss.

As JMU Athletics explains...

"ESPN Hoopgurlz ranked her the 73rd overall recruit of the 2013 class and 12th among guards while the All Star Girls Report ranked her 89th overall. She led the Eagles to the 2013 Maryland 4A State Championship to cap a perfect 27-0 season as she left North Point as the all-time leading scorer (1,363 points)."

"She’s a very aggressive player," SU recruiting coordinator Kelley Gibson said in 2013 about Butler, then a high school senior.  "She gets on the offensive boards and she’s a great energy and hustle player."

But as a freshman at Syracuse, Butler struggled to get playing time.  And her prospects wouldn't look much better next year.  SU returns point guards Cornelia Fondren and Alexis Peterson and starting shooting guards Brittney Sykes, Brianna Butler and Isabella Slim.