New UCF women’s basketball coach
Katie Abrahamson-Henderson wants to foster a culture of winning.
New UCF women’s basketball coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson has been part of just seven losing seasons during 30 years playing and coaching college basketball.
Only one of those losing seasons happened under her watch as a head coach back in 2006 during her final season at Missouri State.
And after transforming Albany women’s basketball program from an afterthought into a headline — the latest being the team’s NCAA Tournament upset against Florida — Abrahamson-Henderson wants to build UCF into a powerhouse program.
“I think that I’ve been trained by so many people to win,” Abrahamson-Henderson said. “I haven’t been a part of a program that ever lost and so my teachers and people that I worked for and played for, I picked up stuff along the way.”
First-year athletics director Danny White said he wanted to build a women’s basketball program that could contend for championships. The Knights, of course, face a steep climb to an American Athletic Conference championship with a juggernaut like UConn and rising power like USF in the way, but Abrahamson-Henderson said she was more than ready to tackle the challenge during her introductory press conference Friday afternoon.
The 49-year-old Iowa native has strong ties to several of the sport’s most respected coaches. She played for two revered coaches in Andy Landers and C. Vivian Stringer during her college career at Georgia and Iowa.
Along with Landers and Stringer, her early coaching days were shaped by the philosophies of Joanne P. McCallie, currently at Duke, and longtime Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly.
“You know I have a little bit of a different spin to it in that I’m really about empowering women and making them believe in themselves. . . . If they go on that court and they’re insecure about anything, it shows on that court,” she said. “We really try to get them prepared and ready way before the game happens.”
Abrahamson-Henderson spent six seasons at Albany, where she led the Great Danes to nine America East Conference Tournament and regular season titles. Her Albany teams posted five 20-win seasons and made five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
Overall, she compiled a 241-108 head coaching record and has helped send three different teams to the NCAA Tournament.
White fired previous women’s basketball coach Joi Williams after the team’s final game last month. Williams, who played guard for USF from 1984-88, compiled a 114-163 record in nine seasons. She led the Knights to two NCAA appearances and just one winning season during her tenure.
Since UCF started its women’s basketball program in 1977, the school has compiled a .479 winning percentage.
“I think we have one of the very most talented coaches in all of women’s basketball in the country, someone that built a dynasty at Albany and is leaving a dynasty that was built to continue to win,” White said. “What she’s done in her career is unbelievable, and everything I learned about her from people that know women’s basketball really well, she’s as high level of a coach as there is, and we’re really fortunate to have her here.”
Last week, White introduced former Duke star and NBA guard Johnny Dawkins as the new men’s basketball coach. Dawkins, along with new UCF football coach Scott Frost, both attended Friday’s press conference.
Much like her peers, Abrahamson-Henderson said she wants to bring a “fast” style of offense to UCF.
“I want to go. I don’t want to turn the ball over, but I want to try to run as fast as I can and get good shots,” she said. “The team is going to know where the shots are coming from.”
Abrahamson-Henderson was joined by her two daughters and husband at the press conference Friday. Her husband, Michael, is a former player for the Harlem Globetrotters.
The decision to take the UCF job came in just a matter of days. Although it was difficult to leave Albany, she said the opportunity to build something special at UCF was too great to pass up.
And the recruiting base in Florida didn’t hurt either.
“That’s another great reason why I took the job. There’s just so much great talent in Florida. We don’t have to go all over the world and the country, it’s right here and we’re gonna definitely recruit here and in Central Florida as much as possible,” Abrahamson-Henderson said. “Our recruiting base at Albany was Florida, New York, Canada, Philly, Georgia and those are all the same places we’re gonna continue to recruit from. So I’m just really excited.”