At the start of the season in every sport, teams look for a player to step up and lead. For Georgetown women’s basketball, those duties will fall on the shoulders of senior Jaleesa Butler.

Butler returns as one of the top scorers and defenders for the Hoyas. After scoring in double figures in nearly every game last season, Butler will remain vital to the team’s success at both ends of the floor. Head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy, however, is banking on Butler to step up her game even more.

“Jaleesa is one of the most athletic players on the team. She can get bumped around and still finish inside,” Williams-Flournoy said. “She knows how to play offensively and defensively. We just need her to be more consistent. We need a double-double every game from her. If she does that, she will have a great senior year.”

That’s asking a lot of a player. But with her experience and talent, Butler is definitely up for the challenge.

“[I'll do] whatever the team needs,” Butler said. “If it’s for me to come out and score, that’s what I’m going to do. If they need me to come out and get rebounds, whatever the team needs.”

As one of four seniors on the team, Butler, along with improving her game, strives to take on a leadership role, something that Williams-Flournoy has noticed.

“She has already started [leading the team] over the summer,” Williams-Flournoy said.

Butler’s main message to the team’s youngsters was simple.

“I just always tell them to give 110 percent,” Butler wrote in an e-mail. “A lot of the teams may have athleticism or something else that others lack, but if you always give your all you never know what will happen.”

With words of wisdom like those, Butler seems well equipped to be the leader the Hoyas need.

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