A winning century
JACKSON TWP — One hundred wins might appear next to Dorothea Epps' name, but the veteran Butler girls basketball coach is the first to admit that the credit should be shared by many.
With the Golden Tornado's 64-49 victory over Seneca Valley Thursday night, Epps reached the milestone in just her sixth season.
She currently holds a career mark of 100-46, including an impressive 51-25 section record.
"I think back to all the great players I've coached and how hard they worked," said Epps. "This is a milestone for the entire program."
"We knew it would be her 100th win and we wanted to get it for her," said senior forward Jenna Manuel, who scored eight points in Thursday's victory. "It was pretty special."
Epps took over as Butler's head coach before the 2003-04 season and has seen her squads improve their overall win total every year but one.
The Tornado blew through Section 3-AAAA play this season with a perfect 12-0 record and take an overall mark of 19-1 into Saturday's regular season finale against New Castle.
<table width="300" height="275" border="0" align="right" valign="top" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><embed src="/assets/mov/BE6421326.MOV" width="320" height="250" autostart="true" loop="false" ></embed></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><a href="http://www.apple.com/quicktime/" target="_blank"><span class="style11">Requires Quicktime Media Player </a><br><font size="1" face="Tahoma, Times New Roman">Video by Brandon Gerthoffer</font></span><td></tr></table>But there is one trait that Epps believes all of her teams have shared, regardless of record."We've always played hard on both ends of the floor," she said.Basketball has been a focal point for Epps for years.She played point guard at Fairchance-Georges High School, now part of the Albert Gallatin School District in Fayette County.She has been involved with Butler basketball for two decades and began coaching in the school district in 1991.Her husband, Paul, is head coach of the Tornado's freshman team.Her son, Aaron, is Butler's junior varsity coach and has been a varsity assistant for all 100 victories."This is a special night because she's my mother," Aaron Epps said. "I see all the hard work she puts in. She really cares about the girls, on and off the court."She coaches with a lot of intensity and makes everyone accountable," he added. "Every girl must do her part. That's what I've learned from her."With 100 career wins and two straight section titles in her back pocket, Dorothea Epps is looking for more."One of our goals was to win the section and another was to do it by going undefeated," she said. "We've done that. Now, the goal for these young ladies is a WPIAL title. And after that, it's on to states."Epps, who is also assisted by Julie Baccanti, isn't about to guess how many more years she'll be the head coach at Butler, but one thing is for sure: She'll always have a vested interest in the program."People have asked me what I'll do when I'm done coaching," she said. "I'll be up in the stands cheering the girls on."I can't imagine our lives without Butler basketball. It's part of us."
Butler girls basketball coach Dorothea Epps' career record:<B>Season W L</B>2003-04 14 122004-05 10 142005-06 16 82006-07 17 72007-08 24 42008-09 19 1*Totals 100 46* with one regular season game remaining
