Women's Basketball
Abrahamson-Henderson, Katie
Katie Abrahamson-Henderson
- Title:
- Head Coach
Career Highlights
- Record: 419-206 (.670) in 20 seasons
- 2023 Atlanta Tipoff Club Whack Hyder College Coach of the Year
- Developed Diamond Battles and Javyn Nicholson into All-SEC players and mentored All-Freshman Team selections Mia Woolfolk and Trinity Turner in her first three seasons in Athens
- Teams have averaged 20 wins per year during her career
- Her teams have earned bids to 12 NCAA tournaments
- Has compiled 13 20-win seasons in 20 years as head coach
- Led Georgia to its most wins in five seasons (22) and its first win over a Power-5 team in the NCAA tournament since 2013 in her first year
- Four-time Conference Coach of the Year
-16 conference championships (nine tournament and seven regular season) in 20 seasons as head coach
- Led UCF to its first NCAA Tournament bid -- and five-straight postseason appearances -- and also guided the Knights to their first-ever NCAA Tournament win. UCF also earned its highest-ever NCAA Tournament seeding at No. 7.
- UCF won a school-record 26 games in 2021-22
- Has coached seven conference Players of the Year, five Defensive Players of the Year and 20 first-team All-Conference selections
Katie Abrahamson-Henderson — a former Lady Bulldog who has experienced outstanding success as a head coach over the last two decades — was named the third full-time head coach in Georgia women's basketball history on March 26, 2022.
In 20 seasons as head coach, Coach ABE's teams have compiled an impressive 419-206 record — an average of 20 victories per year. Her squads have also won seven conference regular season titles, nine league tournament crowns, have earned 12 NCAA Tournament berths and 15 postseason bids overall.
Coach ABE had an impactful first season in Athens. She led Georgia to 22 wins -- the program's highest win total in five years -- and a first-round NCAA tournament victory against Florida State, marking Georgia's first win against a Power 5 team in the NCAA tournament since 2013.
Diamond Battles was named to the 2023 All-SEC Second Team and the SEC All-Defensive Team after ranking among the SEC's best in scoring (14.7 ppg), steals (59) and assists (96).
Before being named Georgia's head coach, Coach ABE led UCF to historic success. The 2021-22 UCF Knights set the school record for most wins in a season with a 26-4 overall mark, including a 14-1 record in league play, on its way to winning the American Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships. The Knights advanced to the NCAA tournament, where they narrowly lost to No. 2 seed UConn, 52-47, in the second round.
For her efforts, Coach ABE was named the 2022 AAC Coach of the Year, marking the fourth time in her career she has earned league Coach of the Year honors. Under her guidance, Battles earned AAC Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and placed on the conference's first-team squad.
Her teams hit milestone after milestone with postseason bids each year (excluding the 2020 COVID season). In 2018-19, UCF earned the program's first-ever at-large bid to the NCAA tournament and followed with yet another trip and the highest seed in school history in 2021.
Coach ABE led UCF to a 131-49 record in six seasons. After being named head coach in 2016, her impact was felt immediately. Her team finished 21-12 that year — a 14-game improvement from the previous season and the second-best turnaround among Division I women's basketball programs.
Her 2018-19 squad finished with a 26-7 record and 13-3 mark in The American to finish in second place. This came after her 2017-18 team tied the program's Division I record for wins in a season and made back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time.
Prior to UCF, Coach ABE spent six seasons at Albany (2010-16), where she led the Great Danes to a combined nine America East Conference tournament and regular season titles, including four Players of the Year awards, four Defensive Players of the Year awards, one Scholar-Athlete of the Year, one Rookie of the Year and nine first-team all-conference selections.
She was chosen as the America East Coach of the Year three times, helping the Great Danes to a combined 83-13 record in league play. Albany won 38 consecutive America East regular games, which set a new league record and, at the time, was a Division I record.
Coach ABE guided Missouri State to three Missouri Valley Conference tournament championships, a pair of MVC regular season titles and three NCAA berths from 2002-07.
In addition to her head coaching stops, Coach ABE was the associate head coach at Indiana from 2006-10, an assistant coach at Washington from 2007-08, the associate head coach at Michigan State from 2000-02, an assistant coach at Iowa State from 1994-00, an assistant coach at Maine from 1992-94 and an assistant coach at Duquesne from 1990-92.
As a player, she was a Parade Magazine and USA Today High School All-American and was a highly sought after recruit. After playing two seasons for Coach Landers at Georgia, the Cedar Rapids, Iowa native transferred to play for C. Vivian Stringer at Iowa. She was a member of two Big Ten championships teams. As a freshman at Georgia, she helped the Lady Bulldogs capture the 1986 Southeastern Conference Crown.
Abrahamson-Henderson played in 64 total games with 34 starts during her two seasons in Athens. She totaled 443 points and 253 rebounds from 1985-87.
She earned a B.S. in physical education with an emphasis in sports administration from the University of Iowa. She received her master's in education from Duquesne University in 1992.
Coach ABE and her husband, Michael, have two daughters, Savannah and Brooklyn. Michael also had a celebrated college basketball career and eventually played for the Harlem Globetrotters. He led Long Island-C.W. Post to a pair of NCAA Tournaments and scored 1,173 career points from 1981-84.
Michael was a referee in the WNBA from 1998-01 and an NBA ref from 2001-06. He is currently a Division I women's basketball official in numerous conferences across the country.
Head Coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson
"This is a dream come true. I am thrilled to return to Georgia as the head coach at one of the premier women's basketball programs in the country," Abrahamson-Henderson said. "I want to thank president Jere W. Morehead, athletics director Josh Brooks and senior deputy athletics director Darrice Griffin for the trust they have placed in me. I also want to thank Andy Landers and Joni Taylor for the foundation of success they have laid as we continue to build on that great tradition.
"What we did at UCF was the most historic season in school history! Winning the regular season and conference tournament titles, earning a No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament -- the highest in program history -- and winning in the first round of the NCAA to reach the round of 32. It is not easy to leave a place like UCF, and I want all our administrators, players, alumni, fans and supporters to know you will always hold a special place in our hearts.
"When I signed a national letter of intent with Coach Landers in 1985, this program was in the middle of a remarkable and unprecedented run of competing for SEC and national championships. In talking with Josh Brooks and DarriceGriffin, our vision and belief that Georgia will compete for championships and postseason success lined up perfectly. I am so ready to get started."
J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Josh Brooks
"We are thrilled to welcome Katie, Michael and their daughters Savannah and Brooklyn to Athens," Brooks said. "Throughout this process, one name kept coming up, and that was Coach 'ABE.' Her resume and history of success at every level is impressive. Our goal was to find a proven coach who has had sustained success both in competing for conference titles and in the NCAA tournament. Katie is the entire package, and I can't wait to see what her teams are able to accomplish here at the University of Georgia."
President Jere W. Morehead
"We are excited to welcome Coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson to the University of Georgia," Morehead said. "Her history of excellence and success as a head coach at UCF, Albany and Missouri State is remarkable. I am confident she will be an outstanding ambassador for the University and our women's basketball program."
Senior Deputy Director of Athletics Darrice Griffin
"Coach 'ABE' has demonstrated a special commitment to excellence in all aspects of higher education and competition," Griffin said. "She stands firm in empowering young women, developing their talents and gifts while also preparing them for purpose-driven lives after their student-athlete experience. I truly believe we have found the right leader to build upon the rich history and tradition of Georgia Women's Basketball."
- Record: 419-206 (.670) in 20 seasons
- 2023 Atlanta Tipoff Club Whack Hyder College Coach of the Year
- Developed Diamond Battles and Javyn Nicholson into All-SEC players and mentored All-Freshman Team selections Mia Woolfolk and Trinity Turner in her first three seasons in Athens
- Teams have averaged 20 wins per year during her career
- Her teams have earned bids to 12 NCAA tournaments
- Has compiled 13 20-win seasons in 20 years as head coach
- Led Georgia to its most wins in five seasons (22) and its first win over a Power-5 team in the NCAA tournament since 2013 in her first year
- Four-time Conference Coach of the Year
-16 conference championships (nine tournament and seven regular season) in 20 seasons as head coach
- Led UCF to its first NCAA Tournament bid -- and five-straight postseason appearances -- and also guided the Knights to their first-ever NCAA Tournament win. UCF also earned its highest-ever NCAA Tournament seeding at No. 7.
- UCF won a school-record 26 games in 2021-22
- Has coached seven conference Players of the Year, five Defensive Players of the Year and 20 first-team All-Conference selections
Katie Abrahamson-Henderson — a former Lady Bulldog who has experienced outstanding success as a head coach over the last two decades — was named the third full-time head coach in Georgia women's basketball history on March 26, 2022.
In 20 seasons as head coach, Coach ABE's teams have compiled an impressive 419-206 record — an average of 20 victories per year. Her squads have also won seven conference regular season titles, nine league tournament crowns, have earned 12 NCAA Tournament berths and 15 postseason bids overall.
Coach ABE had an impactful first season in Athens. She led Georgia to 22 wins -- the program's highest win total in five years -- and a first-round NCAA tournament victory against Florida State, marking Georgia's first win against a Power 5 team in the NCAA tournament since 2013.
Diamond Battles was named to the 2023 All-SEC Second Team and the SEC All-Defensive Team after ranking among the SEC's best in scoring (14.7 ppg), steals (59) and assists (96).
Before being named Georgia's head coach, Coach ABE led UCF to historic success. The 2021-22 UCF Knights set the school record for most wins in a season with a 26-4 overall mark, including a 14-1 record in league play, on its way to winning the American Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships. The Knights advanced to the NCAA tournament, where they narrowly lost to No. 2 seed UConn, 52-47, in the second round.
For her efforts, Coach ABE was named the 2022 AAC Coach of the Year, marking the fourth time in her career she has earned league Coach of the Year honors. Under her guidance, Battles earned AAC Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and placed on the conference's first-team squad.
Her teams hit milestone after milestone with postseason bids each year (excluding the 2020 COVID season). In 2018-19, UCF earned the program's first-ever at-large bid to the NCAA tournament and followed with yet another trip and the highest seed in school history in 2021.
Coach ABE led UCF to a 131-49 record in six seasons. After being named head coach in 2016, her impact was felt immediately. Her team finished 21-12 that year — a 14-game improvement from the previous season and the second-best turnaround among Division I women's basketball programs.
Her 2018-19 squad finished with a 26-7 record and 13-3 mark in The American to finish in second place. This came after her 2017-18 team tied the program's Division I record for wins in a season and made back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time.
Prior to UCF, Coach ABE spent six seasons at Albany (2010-16), where she led the Great Danes to a combined nine America East Conference tournament and regular season titles, including four Players of the Year awards, four Defensive Players of the Year awards, one Scholar-Athlete of the Year, one Rookie of the Year and nine first-team all-conference selections.
She was chosen as the America East Coach of the Year three times, helping the Great Danes to a combined 83-13 record in league play. Albany won 38 consecutive America East regular games, which set a new league record and, at the time, was a Division I record.
Coach ABE guided Missouri State to three Missouri Valley Conference tournament championships, a pair of MVC regular season titles and three NCAA berths from 2002-07.
In addition to her head coaching stops, Coach ABE was the associate head coach at Indiana from 2006-10, an assistant coach at Washington from 2007-08, the associate head coach at Michigan State from 2000-02, an assistant coach at Iowa State from 1994-00, an assistant coach at Maine from 1992-94 and an assistant coach at Duquesne from 1990-92.
As a player, she was a Parade Magazine and USA Today High School All-American and was a highly sought after recruit. After playing two seasons for Coach Landers at Georgia, the Cedar Rapids, Iowa native transferred to play for C. Vivian Stringer at Iowa. She was a member of two Big Ten championships teams. As a freshman at Georgia, she helped the Lady Bulldogs capture the 1986 Southeastern Conference Crown.
Abrahamson-Henderson played in 64 total games with 34 starts during her two seasons in Athens. She totaled 443 points and 253 rebounds from 1985-87.
She earned a B.S. in physical education with an emphasis in sports administration from the University of Iowa. She received her master's in education from Duquesne University in 1992.
Coach ABE and her husband, Michael, have two daughters, Savannah and Brooklyn. Michael also had a celebrated college basketball career and eventually played for the Harlem Globetrotters. He led Long Island-C.W. Post to a pair of NCAA Tournaments and scored 1,173 career points from 1981-84.
Michael was a referee in the WNBA from 1998-01 and an NBA ref from 2001-06. He is currently a Division I women's basketball official in numerous conferences across the country.
Head Coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson
"This is a dream come true. I am thrilled to return to Georgia as the head coach at one of the premier women's basketball programs in the country," Abrahamson-Henderson said. "I want to thank president Jere W. Morehead, athletics director Josh Brooks and senior deputy athletics director Darrice Griffin for the trust they have placed in me. I also want to thank Andy Landers and Joni Taylor for the foundation of success they have laid as we continue to build on that great tradition.
"What we did at UCF was the most historic season in school history! Winning the regular season and conference tournament titles, earning a No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament -- the highest in program history -- and winning in the first round of the NCAA to reach the round of 32. It is not easy to leave a place like UCF, and I want all our administrators, players, alumni, fans and supporters to know you will always hold a special place in our hearts.
"When I signed a national letter of intent with Coach Landers in 1985, this program was in the middle of a remarkable and unprecedented run of competing for SEC and national championships. In talking with Josh Brooks and DarriceGriffin, our vision and belief that Georgia will compete for championships and postseason success lined up perfectly. I am so ready to get started."
J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Josh Brooks
"We are thrilled to welcome Katie, Michael and their daughters Savannah and Brooklyn to Athens," Brooks said. "Throughout this process, one name kept coming up, and that was Coach 'ABE.' Her resume and history of success at every level is impressive. Our goal was to find a proven coach who has had sustained success both in competing for conference titles and in the NCAA tournament. Katie is the entire package, and I can't wait to see what her teams are able to accomplish here at the University of Georgia."
President Jere W. Morehead
"We are excited to welcome Coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson to the University of Georgia," Morehead said. "Her history of excellence and success as a head coach at UCF, Albany and Missouri State is remarkable. I am confident she will be an outstanding ambassador for the University and our women's basketball program."
Senior Deputy Director of Athletics Darrice Griffin
"Coach 'ABE' has demonstrated a special commitment to excellence in all aspects of higher education and competition," Griffin said. "She stands firm in empowering young women, developing their talents and gifts while also preparing them for purpose-driven lives after their student-athlete experience. I truly believe we have found the right leader to build upon the rich history and tradition of Georgia Women's Basketball."
The Coach ABE File
Personal
Name: Katie Abrahamson-Henderson
Overall Record: 372-157 (17 seasons)
Husband: Michael A. Henderson
Daughters: Savannah, Brooklyn
EDUCATION
University of Iowa, 1990; B.S. in physical education, sports administration
Duquesne University, 1992; M.S., education
COACHING CAREER
2022-present, Georgia
Head Coach (22-12)
• 2023 NCAA Second Round
2016-22, UCF
Head Coach (131-49)
• 2017 WNIT Second Round
• 2018 WNIT Second Round
• 2019 NCAA First Round
• 2021 NCAA First Round
• 2022 NCAA Second Round
2010-16, Albany
Head Coach (146-47)
• Five NCAA Tournament appearances
• Five America East Tournament Championships
• Four America East Regular Season Championships
• Three America East Coach of the Year honors
2008-10, Indiana
Associate Head Coach
• 2009 WNIT Berth
2007-08, Washington
Assistant Coach and Co-recruiting Coordinator
2002-07, Missouri State University
Head Coach (95-61)
• Three NCAA Tournament berths
• Three Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Titles
• Two MVC Regular Season Championships
• 2005 WNIT Champions
2000-02, Michigan State
Associate Head Coach
• 2002 WNIT Berth
1994-00, Iowa State
Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator
• Four consecutive NCAA appearances, including 1999 Elite Eight and 2000 Sweet Sixteen
• 2000 Big 12 Regular Season and Tournament Champions
• Two WNBA Draft Picks (2000)
1992-94, Maine
Assistant Coach
• 1994 North Atlantic Conference Regular Season Champion
1990-92, Duquesne
Assistant Coach
Head coaching record Season-By-Season
| Georgia (2022-present) | ||||
| Year | Record | Conf. Record | Conf. Finish | Postseason |
| 2022-23 | 22-12 | 9-7 | 5th | NCAA Second Round |
| 2023-24 | 12-18 | 3-13 | 13th | None |
| 2024-25 | 13-19 | 4-12 | 12th | None |
| UCF (2016-22) | ||||
| Year | Record | Conf. Record | Conf. Finish | Postseason |
| 2016-17 | 21-12 | 9-7 | 4th | WNIT Second Round |
| 2017-18 | 22-11 | 12-4 | 3rd | WNIT Second Round |
| 2018-19 | 26-7 | 13-3 | 2nd | NCAA First Round |
| 2019-20 | 20-10 | 11-5 | 2nd | COVID Season |
| 2020-21 | 16-5 | 12-2 | 2nd | NCAA First Round |
| 2021-22 | 26-4 | 14-1 | 1st (Champ) | AAC Tourney Champ, NCAA Second Round |
| Albany (2010-16) | ||||
| Year | Record | Conf. Record | Conf. Finish | Postseason |
| 2010-11 | 16-14 | 9-7 | 5th | None |
| 2011-12 | 23-10 | 14-2 | 2nd | America East Tourney Champ, NCAA First Round |
| 2012-13 | 27-4 | 16-0 | 1st (Champ) | America East Tourney Champ, NCAA First Round |
| 2013-14 | 28-5 | 15-1 | 1st (Champ) | America East Tourney Champ, NCAA First Round |
| 2014-15 | 24-9 | 14-2 | 1st (Champ) | America East Tourney Champ, NCAA First Round |
| 2015-16 | 28-5 | 15-1 | 1st (Champ) | America East Tourney Champ, NCAA Second Round |
| Missouri State (2002-07) | ||||
| Year | Record | Conf. Record | Conf. Finish | Postseason |
| 2002-03 | 18-13 | 11-7 | 4th | MVC Tourney Champ, NCAA First Round |
| 2003-04 | 28-4 | 16-2 | 1st (Champ) | MVC Tourney Champ, NCAA First Round |
| 2004-05 | 25-8 | 15-3 | 1st (Champ) | WNIT Champion |
| 2005-06 | 17-15 | 7-11 | T-6th | MVC Tourney Champ, NCAA First Round |
| 2006-07 | 7-21 | 3-15 | 10th | None |
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