Georgia has a new women’s basketball head coach. UGA alumna Katie Abrahamson-Henderson has returned to coach the Lady Bulldogs, athletic director Josh Brooks announced Saturday.

“We are thrilled to welcome Katie, Michael and their daughters Savannah and Brooklyn to Athens,” Brooks said in the program announcement. “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.”

Abrahamson-Henderson arrives with a 372-157 record over 17 seasons as head coach, with stops at UCF, Albany and Missouri State. She succeeds Joni Taylor, who took the Texas A&M job.

“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.”

Abrahamson-Henderson was named the 2022 AAC Coach of the Year, leading the Knights to a school record for most wins in a season (26-4 overall), regular-season and tournament conference titles as a well a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

“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.”

Abrahamson-Henderson knows UGA can be a successful program.

“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 Darrice Griffin, our vision and belief that Georgia will compete for championships and postseason success lined up perfectly. I am so ready to get started.”