Niya Butts not returning to coach Arizona Wildcats women's basketball

After eight seasons as the head coach of Arizona Wildcats women's basketball, Niya Butts will not be returning for a ninth Greg Byrne announced on Tuesday.

According to the Daily Wildcat, Butts will coach the team in this weekend's Pac-12 Tournament in Seattle. Arizona takes on Oregon on Thursday. She currently holds a 101-149 career record at Arizona.

Here is @Greg_Byrne’s statement on the decision to part ways with Niya Butts https://t.co/dZdSuZsc5b pic.twitter.com/S33apR5rA6

— Ryan Kelapire (@RKelapireUA) March 1, 2016

It's kind of a surprise that Butts has lasted this long at Arizona. Over the last five years, the Wildcats have won just 14 Pac-12 games. With renovations to all of the basketball facilities in McKale Center, and the overall support the program has, more success should be happening.

"I want to thank Jim Livengood and Rocky LaRose for giving me this opportunity, and Greg Byrne for being so supportive throughout my time at Arizona," stated Butts. "I've loved every second of my time in Tucson, from the student-athletes I was fortunate to coach, to the people in McKale, to the fans and supporters of Arizona Athletics. Even though we didn't win as much as we all would have liked, I'm leaving the department with nothing but good memories and strong relationships that I will cherish forever. This is a special place with special people and I want nothing but the best for Greg and the entire athletics department."

A national coaching search will start immediately after the season has concluded. With Byrne's track record of hires, I would expect someone to come in and make an instant impact on this team.