Girls Basketball Head Coach

Kim Butler B’01 is the Head Coach of the Bellarmine Girls Basketball program and a proud alumna with a deep connection to the school and community. She has served Bellarmine athletics in multiple roles over the years, first as an assistant coach from 2013–2017, and as head coach from 2017–2021 and again in the present, bringing a total of nine years of coaching experience to the program. In addition to basketball, Coach Butler also coached track and field from 2015–2021, working with high jumpers and sprinters.

Coach Butler earned a Bachelor of Science from Santa Clara University and Oregon State University, and a Master’s degree in Counseling from Northwestern University. As a coach and former elite athlete, she brings a unique blend of competitive excellence, relational leadership, and holistic development to her work with student-athletes.

A 2012 Olympian, Coach Butler has achieved success at the highest levels of sport. Her coaching accomplishments include being named Coach of the Year in 2019, leading the program to a district championship, and a third-place finish at the state tournament. These achievements reflect her commitment to excellence and her ability to develop teams that compete with confidence and purpose.

At the core of Coach Butler’s philosophy is a commitment to building a culture of excellence through a relational approach. She emphasizes social-emotional growth, basketball IQ, performance, and the overall well-being of her players. Her guiding principle, “Play hard, smart, and together,” shapes a team environment rooted in trust, accountability, and shared purpose.

Coaching at Bellarmine is deeply meaningful to Coach Butler, as the school played a formative role in her own life. She values the opportunity to give back to the community that shaped her, serving as a relatable mentor who understands the student-athlete experience firsthand. She is passionate about helping young women build life skills such as discipline, resilience, connectedness, and leadership.

Beyond wins and losses, Coach Butler hopes her players leave the program with a strong understanding of teamwork and a sense of empowerment to lead with confidence and integrity. She challenges her athletes to become unified, supportive teammates and to live out the call to be women for others.

Born and raised in Tacoma, Coach Butler continues to call the area home and enjoys exploring the outdoor adventures of the Pacific Northwest. She played collegiate basketball at Santa Clara University alongside her older sister, Julie Hiles, before transferring to Oregon State University. Coach Butler went on to play professionally in Europe for seven years, competing in multiple countries and fulfilling her lifelong dream of becoming an Olympian.