ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – Following two of UCF’s best seasons as members of the American Athletic Conference, head women's basketball coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson has signed a one-year extension that will keep her at the helm through the 2022-23 season.
“I am elated to have Katie Abrahamson-Henderson leading our women’s basketball program,” Dr. Daniel J. White said. “Our Knights are not only growing as basketball players under Coach “ABE,” but they are also improving in the classroom. I couldn’t be more excited about the future of our women’s basketball program.”
UCF showed improvement for the second consecutive season under Abrahamson-Henderson’s 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. UCF turned in a 12-4 mark in The American - its best record in league play since 2010-11 - and posted its highest finish in the conference for the second consecutive season, earning the third seed.
"I am blessed and excited for the confidence of Danny White, Brandi Stuart, former President Hitt and new President Whittaker in my staff and I," Coach “ABE” said. "Our team’s success over the last two seasons, both on the court and in the classroom, would not be possible without their support. My staff and I are looking forward to continuing our success of back-to-back postseason appearances as we head into this season and the future." One year after earning the program’s first postseason victory in either the NCAA or WNIT tournaments, Abrahamson-Henderson’s squad followed with a second-straight WNIT second round appearance.
Since taking over the UCF program, Coach “ABE” guided UCF to its first back-to-back 20-win campaigns since the 1983-84 and 1984-85 seasons.
In the classroom, the Knights have also improved, achieving at least a 3.0 average team GPA each of the last two semesters.
UCF returns all-freshman selection Masseny Kaba, Nyala Shuler, who started all 33 games for the Black and Gold last season, and Korneila Wright, the Knights' second-leading scorer in 2017-18. The Knights also regain Tolulope Omokore and Fifi Ndour, both of whom missed last season due to injuries. In addition to a trio of newcomers, Anna Kelly and Sianni Martin will be eligible for UCF after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules.