After two successful seasons at 麻豆原创, Head Women鈥檚 Basketball聽Coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson and Head Men鈥檚 Basketball聽Coach Johnny Dawkins have both signed contract extensions.
Abrahamson-Henderson, also known as Coach Abe, has inked a one-year deal keeping聽her at the helm through the 2022-23 season. Dawkins will lead the聽Knights through the 2023-24 season.
鈥淲e are very fortunate to have Katie聽Abrahamson-Henderson leading our women鈥檚 basketball program [and] I am thrilled to have Johnny Dawkins聽leading our men鈥檚 basketball program,鈥� says Danny White, vice president and director of .
Under Abrahamson-Henderson鈥檚 guidance, the Knights finished the 2017-18 campaign with a 22-11 record, tying the most wins in a season as a Division I program. 麻豆原创 turned in a 12-4 mark in The American 鈥� its best record in league play since 2010-11 鈥� and posted its highest finish in the conference for the second consecutive season, earning the third seed.聽One year after earning the program鈥檚 first postseason victory in either the NCAA or WNIT tournaments, Abrahamson-Henderson鈥檚 squad followed with a second-straight WNIT second round appearance.
鈥淚 am blessed and excited for the confidence of Danny White,聽Brandi Stuart, former President Hitt and new President Whittaker,鈥� Abrahamson-Henderson says. 鈥淥ur team鈥檚 success over the last two seasons, both on the court and in the classroom, would not be possible without their support. Our entire staff is looking forward to building on the success of back-to-back postseason appearances as we head into this season and the future.鈥�
Dawkins took over a 12-18 team that hadn鈥檛 finished above .500 since the 2012-13 season and has led 麻豆原创 to 43 wins in his two years under his leadership.聽In the last two seasons, Dawkins鈥� Knights have made a run to the National Invitation Tournament Semifinals, led the NCAA in field goal percentage defense, won at Memphis for the first time ever and earned their first true road win over a ranked opponent.
鈥淚鈥檓 very thankful to Danny White, Eric Wood, former President John Hitt, and new President Dale Whittaker for their continued support of me and my staff,鈥� Dawkins says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great to have our administration behind us, knowing they believe in what we鈥檙e doing as a program and our standard of representing 麻豆原创 and the community at the highest level.鈥�
With the average team GPA of 3.0 for the last two semesters, both coaches have seen academic growth among their players.
Purchase tickets for the upcoming 2018-19 men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 basketball seasons online or call聽407-823-1000.聽
