Bio

Brandon native and former Mississippi State University basketball player Isaiah Butler is in his fourth year as East Mississippi Community College’s head women’s basketball coach.

Butler’s Lady Lions reached double-digit overall wins a season ago while making their second NJCAA Region 23 Tournament appearance in the three years he’s been at the EMCC women’s hoops helm.

From last year’s winningest EMCC women’s team since the 2021-22 season, the Lady Lions sent four players to four-year schools in giving the program a total of 10 next-level players since Butler took the coaching reins prior to the 2022-23 season.

In the classroom, each of Butler’s first three Lady Lion teams have earned NJCAA All-Academic Team recognition, highlighted by recording a program-best 3.55 collective team grade point average that ranked 12^th nationally during the 2023-24 academic year.

Butler succeeded current EMCC Director of Athletics & Dean of Students/Scooba Sharon Thompson, who retired from her women’s coaching position following the 2021-22 season after 17 successful years at the helm to concentrate on her administrative responsibilities.

Butler previously spent four seasons as the associate head women’s basketball coach with current Troy University assistant coach/recruiting coordinator Stephanie Murphy at Coahoma Community College, where they collectively turned around the program. The Lady Tigers put together a composite record of 36-10 during a successful two-year span as one of the top teams in the MACCC.

While having previously assisted Murphy in all aspects of the day-to-day coaching responsibilities at Coahoma on and off the basketball court, Butler helped instill a winning culture among the CCC players within a program that improved from a seven-win season in 2018-19 to a 21-7 squad that finished as 2022 MACCC Tournament runners-up and NJCAA Region 23 Tournament semifinalists. The year prior, the Lady Tigers rode a 14-game winning streak to finish as 2020-21 MACCC co-champions and Region 23 Tournament runners-up.

During his CCC coaching stint, Butler played a major role in helping develop several Coahoma players who went on to compete within the university ranks. Headlining that impressive list were 2021-22 MACCC Most Valuable Player Nakia Cheatham (Alcorn State) and 2020-21 MACCC North Division Player of the Year Jurnee McLaurin (Grambling State).

Butler’s college coaching experience began when he served as a graduate assistant on the Mississippi College women’s basketball coaching staff during the 2016-17 season.

Prior to joining the coaching ranks, Butler earned a scholarship at Mississippi State after starting his college career as a walk-on forward for the Bulldogs. The former practice player earned an athletic scholarship during his final semester of his senior year. Butler completed his bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies with concentrations in kinesiology, psychology and history. During his senior year, Butler was awarded MSU’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award for men’s basketball and was selected as a 2014-15 SEC Community Service team member.

Butler has also worked as a personal trainer and skills development coach since 2015, which have proved invaluable during strength and conditioning team workouts and individual skill development sessions throughout his rising coaching career.

Born in Fort Polk, La., Butler was a two-sport letterwinner at Brandon (Miss.) High School. As a senior starter on the hardwood, he helped lead the Bulldogs to a 24-7 record and an appearance in the Class 6A South State championship game. He was also a key contributor on Brandon’s state championship track and field squad during his senior year.

Butler is married to the former Adrianna Neal, of Brandon, and they are the proud parents of two boys - Eli, 5, and Liam, who was born this past February.