Former Clemson basketball coach Amanda Butler returning to SC for new college job
Former Clemson women’s basketball coach Amanda Butler is back in South Carolina.
College of Charleston announced Tuesday that it has hired Butler as its next coach. Charleston had an opening after former coach Robin Harmony, who led the Cougars to their first ever NCAA Tournament in 2026, took the Pitt job.
Butler and new College of Charleston men’s basketball coach John Groce were introduced in an on-campus news conference Wednesday.
Butler, 54, spent six seasons as Clemson’s coach from 2018-24. She won 20 games and reached the NCAA Tournament in her first season but never reached either of those marks again and was fired by athletic director Graham Neff in March 2024.
Butler was 81-106 (.433) in her Clemson career and 32-73 (.305) in the ACC.
In a news release, she described Charleston as a “dream job.”
“Opportunities like this one don’t come often and I’m honored to be the choice to lead such an elite group,” Butler said.
She spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach for Jeff Walz at Louisville. Louisville made the NCAA Tournament in both of her seasons on staff and the Sweet 16 this year. Butler has also worked as a head coach at Charlotte (2005-07), Florida (2007-17) and has a career record of 311-265 (.539) in 18 seasons.
Butler joins a College of Charleston program that won a school-record 27 games this year under Harmony. Charleston earned an NCAA automatic bid as the CAA conference tournament champion. The Cougars were a No. 14 seed and lost 81-64 to No. 3 Duke (which reached the Elite Eight) in the first round.
Harmony spent seven seasons at Charleston and was its winningest Division I-era coach. She was 122-81 (.601) and won 22-plus games in her last three seasons.
College of Charleston athletic director Matt Roberts said in a news release the school “wanted to pursue a proven winner, a person with a passion for developing student leaders and someone who embraces the modern-day landscape of college athletics.”
“Amanda Butler is that person,” Roberts said. “... She will work diligently to build upon our recent success and continue our programs ascent as one of the top mid-major women’s basketball programs in the country.”
Butler was making about $475,000 in annual salary at Clemson in her last season there. Her starting salary at Charleston wasn’t immediately known.
At Clemson, Butler’s replacement, Shawn Poppie, led the Tigers to 21 wins, 11 ACC wins and an NCAA Tournament in his second season. The Tigers were a No. 8 seed and lost to No. 9 Southern Cal in the first round after a controversial ending.
Considering Charleston’s an in-state school, it’s possible Clemson schedules the Cougars and matches up against its former coach. Clemson and Charleston have played six times in their history, but their most recent meeting was in 2010.
This story was originally published March 31, 2026 at 9:12 PM.
