Georgetown player reveals after Big East title game that interim coach Darnell Haney is in talks to keep his job
Haney became the Hoyas' head coach after Tasha Butts' death in October
Georgetown’s Darnell Haney could soon have the interim tag removed from his title.
In the minutes after the Hoyas’ 78-42 loss to UConn in the Big East tournament title game Monday, Georgetown forward Graceann Bennett revealed that Haney was in negotiations with the school to be named the permanent head coach.
Haney was unexpectedly thrust into the position of head coach this season following the death of coach Tasha Butts. Butts, 41, died of breast cancer in October. She had been hired from Georgia Tech in April to be the Hoyas’ head coach and Haney was set to be her top assistant.
Chills: Before Georgetown’s press conference tonight following the defeat to UConn in the Big East Championship Game, the Hoyas’ Graceann Bennett announced that Georgetown and interim Darnell Haney are in discussions to make him permanent head coach.pic.twitter.com/Z3vTj2N7Cm
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) March 12, 2024
“I actually want to jump in here,” Bennett said as the news conference opened. “We were just told in the locker room — I’m going to get emotional — that Georgetown is in discussions with Coach Haney on his contract as the official head coach of our basketball program. I am so elated and overjoyed for the future of the program. And just so grateful that I have this opportunity to learn from him for the year. So I just wanted to start by saying that and just say thank you. There’s much more to come for Georgetown women’s basketball with Coach Haney as head coach.
Georgetown went 22-11 in the 2023-24 season and was 9-9 in Big 12 play. The Hoyas finished the season sixth in the Big East and upset No. 21 Creighton 55-46 to advance to the championship game.
The Hoyas are seen as a bubble team entering Selection Sunday and would have scored a guaranteed NCAA tournament berth with another upset on Monday night. A spot in the tournament would be the program’s first since 2012 and would represent a huge accomplishment for Haney’s team. Georgetown last finished with a winning record in 2018-19 and won a combined seven games over the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.
Before coming to Georgetown, Haney served as the head coach at Jacksonville in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Dolphins went 63-75 in his time with the school and had two winning records in his five seasons.
