UGA MBB
Coaching Candidate
Todd Abernethy joined Florida Atlantic University's staff in the spring of 2019, having spent the previous season as the head coach at Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois. Before Trinity, Abernethy served as an assistant coach at Ole Miss for four seasons.
In 2022-23, Abernethy and the Owls' coaching staff led Florida Atlantic to what is undoubtedly the greatest season in program history in 2022-23. FAU qualified for the NCAA Tournament for only the second time in school history and advanced all the way to the Final Four. The Owls had the most wins in all of NCAA Division I basketball in 35, with a record of 35-4. FAU was only three wins shy of the single-season Division I record. Florida Atlantic won both the Conference USA Tournament and Regular Season Championship, which both marked program-firsts.
The Owls accomplished a number of feats during the 2022-23 season, including a 20-game winning streak, which at its time was the longest in its nation and currently stands as the third longest streak in C-USA history. The Owls' 18 conference wins are the most in C-USA history, and FAU also went an undefeated 17-0 at home, also for the first time in school history.
Abernethey and staff guided Johnell Davis to C-USA Sixth Player of the Year honors, First Team All-C-USA and First Team NABC All-District recognition. Alijah Martin was also selected All-C-USA First Team and Second Team NABC All-District.
Abernethy has been a part of winning seasons in each of his five years at FAU. In Abernethy’s third year on staff, the Owls finished 19-15 to rack up the third most wins in a single season at FAU, which included a berth in the Roman College Basketball Invitational (CBI), FAU’s fourth ever postseason tournament appearance. Throughout a stretch of the season, the Owls were on a 10-game home winning streak, being just one of 23 teams in the nation with 10+ straight wins at home.
In 2021-22, Alijah Martin earned All-Conference USA Third Team honors and Michael Forrest was named to the NABC All-District Team, the first for the Owls in nine seasons. FAU’s 11 C-USA wins helped the team earn the third seed in the C-USA Tournament. The Owls went on to earn their fourth consecutive win at the opening/second round of the C-USA Tournament with their dominant 86-59 win over Southern Miss.
In his second year on staff during the shortened 2020-21 season, the Owls earned another winning campaign, FAU again won a game at the C-USA Tournament and was at the top of the league and among the nation's leaders in total rebounds (first, and No. 9 in the nation), 3-point percentage (first and 16th), scoring margin (second and 20th), 3-pointers made (third and 17th), and scoring (third and 38th).
In his first season in Boca Raton, Abernethy helped the Owls to their second winning season in a row, the first time that happened since the 1996-97 season. FAU also set records for most home wins and capped off the year with a 66-56 win over Old Dominion at the C-USA Tournament. The victory was the first in-bracket, neutral site conference tournament win for FAU since 2002.
At TIU, Abernethy led the Trojans to a 15-15 record and produced two All-League Players. While at Ole Miss, Abernethy oversaw player development and helped develop three First-Team All-SEC players. Abernethy also proved to be a skilled recruiter, signing players from all over the world including Europe, Florida, Indiana and Mississippi.
Abernethy began his coaching career in Indianapolis at IUPUI as the director of basketball operations and video coordinator. He returned to his alma mater in 2014 and served as an assistant coach under Andy Kennedy for four seasons. The Rebels advanced to the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament and to the Elite Eight of the 2017 NIT.
Abernethy, a Carmel, Indiana native, played at Ole Miss from 2003-2007 and earned All-SEC honors in 2006-07 after leading the Rebels to the SEC Western Division Championship. As a freshman at Ole Miss in 2003-04, Abernethy started all 28 games for coach Rod Barnes. In 2004-05, he came off the bench and was named the SEC Sixth Man of the Year. In 2006-07, under the direction of first-year head coach Andy Kennedy, Abernethy was an All-SEC point guard, averaging 12.3 points and 6.3 assists per game in helping the team win the SEC West. Abernethy finished his playing career at Ole Miss with 1,036 points. He also recorded 431 assists, which ranks fourth in school history. Abernethy also made the SEC Academic Honor Roll three times.
From 2007-2013, Abernethy played professional basketball in the Netherlands, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine and Poland. In 2010, Abernethy played in Estonia for Tartu Rock and won the Estonian Championship. In 2012, while playing in Ventspils, Latvia, his team advanced to the EuroChallenge Elite 8.
Abernethy graduated from Ole Miss in 2007 with a degree in banking and finance. He and his wife, Micah Abernethy, have two daughters, Ruthie and Maria, and two sons, Jack and William. Micah lettered in track and field and cross-country and earned a degree in Marketing at Ole Miss.
Head Coach John Jakus
"Todd comes from a great basketball family going back to his father who played at Indiana and then in the NBA. Todd was a great player in the SEC and was a four-year starter who by the time he finished was an all-league player. He then became a great coach, first as an assistant at the SEC level and then as head coach of my alma mater in Trinity. With our ties at TIU, we have many shared mutual connections. Over the past five years, Todd has been an instrumental part to the development of the FAU players and program into a Final Four team. When meeting with the team, it was clear how much Todd meant to all of them, making this hire as much about the guys as anything else."
Herald-Time: Codeword Hickory: Todd Abernethy takes lessons from the 1976 Hoosiers in FAU coaching role
When assistant coach Todd Abernethy is watching his Florida Atlantic University Owls go through their pre-game paces and hears the word “Hickory” from the distance, he knows his father is in the arena.
The man is just not any dad. He is Tom Abernethy, South Bend native and starting forward for the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers, college basketball’s last undefeated men’s champions. “Hickory,” as in the Hickory Huskers of "Hoosiers" movie fame, is the predetermined code that father and son have worked out to announce his presence.
Dad tries to catch as many FAU games as he can, and why not? As of Jan. 28 the Owls owned the nation’s longest winning streak at 20 games and are ranked in the AP Top 25 for the third straight week. These are new heights, thanks to a young and energetic coaching staff headed by a fellow Hoosier native, Dusty May. May, 46, played his high school basketball in southern Indiana (Eastern Greene) and then went on to become a student manager at Indiana University under Bob Knight.
Todd Abernethy, 38, and a father of four, played his high school basketball at Heritage Christian in Indianapolis. He received a scholarship to Mississippi and enjoyed a solid career at Ole Miss. He first met May at an IU basketball camp while he was in high school and May was a manager. They later ran into each other when Abernethy was an assistant at Ole Miss and May was an assistant at Florida. When May had an opening on his FAU staff in 2019, one of his first calls was to Abernethy.
Feel good story
Now Abernethy finds himself basking in college basketball’s Cinderella story of the 2022-23 season. At 21-1 the Owls are off to their best start in their 25-year history, a history with only five winning seasons prior to the arrival of May and his staff, who are about to equal that number in just five years.
Being ranked in the Top 25 is a first for the Owls, who are appearing in most projected NCAA brackets, which would make them the second FAU team to ever make the tournament. Although they are in firm control of Conference USA at the moment, the Owls probably will need to keep winning to build their resume for an at-large bid, should they stumble in the conference tournament. The only guaranteed bid for a mid-major like C-USA goes to the tournament champion.
But for now the Owls are enjoying the journey. They are a team without egos, happy to share minutes and shots. Sound familiar? Todd points to the ’76 Hoosiers. Although that team had stars such as Scott May, Kent Benson and Quinn Buckner, they also had role players such as Tom Abernethy, who averaged 10 points, five rebounds and often guarded the opposition’s best forward.
“Dad’s team, that ’76 team, they all sacrificed and did whatever the team needed,” Todd said. “We told our guys from Day One that “You all could be at another school playing more minutes and scoring more points, but to be part of a championship-level program you have to be willing to sacrifice.
“I think what Dusty and I both value, being from Indiana, is guys that play basketball the right way – making good decisions, being fundamentally sound, making shot fakes, sharing the basketball.
"One thing that makes our team really unique is that we have guys who love passing. When they drive it and help comes, they are so willing to kick the ball off, make the extra pass.”
Keeping Hoosier ties
Dusty May is happy to bring in former Hoosiers to speak to his team. Tom Abernethy was a no-brainer. Others include Dane Fife, Charlie Miller and former IU coach Mike Davis – all who were at IU when May was a manager. As a student of the game, May is taking note of what separates the good teams from the great ones.
https://www.heraldtimesonline.com/s...m-76-hoosiers-in-coaching-at-fau/69854590007/
2026 Recruiting
SG Quincy Wadley
“They changed their scheme a little this year because they had two bigs, Asa (Newell) and another big on the floor. They want me to come in and play in the open floor, play with a lot of freedom. I know it is a new coach, but they talk a lot about how Anthony Edwards was used, and they want me to be next in line.”
Coaching Candidate
Todd Abernethy joined Florida Atlantic University's staff in the spring of 2019, having spent the previous season as the head coach at Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois. Before Trinity, Abernethy served as an assistant coach at Ole Miss for four seasons.
In 2022-23, Abernethy and the Owls' coaching staff led Florida Atlantic to what is undoubtedly the greatest season in program history in 2022-23. FAU qualified for the NCAA Tournament for only the second time in school history and advanced all the way to the Final Four. The Owls had the most wins in all of NCAA Division I basketball in 35, with a record of 35-4. FAU was only three wins shy of the single-season Division I record. Florida Atlantic won both the Conference USA Tournament and Regular Season Championship, which both marked program-firsts.
The Owls accomplished a number of feats during the 2022-23 season, including a 20-game winning streak, which at its time was the longest in its nation and currently stands as the third longest streak in C-USA history. The Owls' 18 conference wins are the most in C-USA history, and FAU also went an undefeated 17-0 at home, also for the first time in school history.
Abernethey and staff guided Johnell Davis to C-USA Sixth Player of the Year honors, First Team All-C-USA and First Team NABC All-District recognition. Alijah Martin was also selected All-C-USA First Team and Second Team NABC All-District.
Abernethy has been a part of winning seasons in each of his five years at FAU. In Abernethy’s third year on staff, the Owls finished 19-15 to rack up the third most wins in a single season at FAU, which included a berth in the Roman College Basketball Invitational (CBI), FAU’s fourth ever postseason tournament appearance. Throughout a stretch of the season, the Owls were on a 10-game home winning streak, being just one of 23 teams in the nation with 10+ straight wins at home.
In 2021-22, Alijah Martin earned All-Conference USA Third Team honors and Michael Forrest was named to the NABC All-District Team, the first for the Owls in nine seasons. FAU’s 11 C-USA wins helped the team earn the third seed in the C-USA Tournament. The Owls went on to earn their fourth consecutive win at the opening/second round of the C-USA Tournament with their dominant 86-59 win over Southern Miss.
In his second year on staff during the shortened 2020-21 season, the Owls earned another winning campaign, FAU again won a game at the C-USA Tournament and was at the top of the league and among the nation's leaders in total rebounds (first, and No. 9 in the nation), 3-point percentage (first and 16th), scoring margin (second and 20th), 3-pointers made (third and 17th), and scoring (third and 38th).
In his first season in Boca Raton, Abernethy helped the Owls to their second winning season in a row, the first time that happened since the 1996-97 season. FAU also set records for most home wins and capped off the year with a 66-56 win over Old Dominion at the C-USA Tournament. The victory was the first in-bracket, neutral site conference tournament win for FAU since 2002.
At TIU, Abernethy led the Trojans to a 15-15 record and produced two All-League Players. While at Ole Miss, Abernethy oversaw player development and helped develop three First-Team All-SEC players. Abernethy also proved to be a skilled recruiter, signing players from all over the world including Europe, Florida, Indiana and Mississippi.
Abernethy began his coaching career in Indianapolis at IUPUI as the director of basketball operations and video coordinator. He returned to his alma mater in 2014 and served as an assistant coach under Andy Kennedy for four seasons. The Rebels advanced to the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament and to the Elite Eight of the 2017 NIT.
Abernethy, a Carmel, Indiana native, played at Ole Miss from 2003-2007 and earned All-SEC honors in 2006-07 after leading the Rebels to the SEC Western Division Championship. As a freshman at Ole Miss in 2003-04, Abernethy started all 28 games for coach Rod Barnes. In 2004-05, he came off the bench and was named the SEC Sixth Man of the Year. In 2006-07, under the direction of first-year head coach Andy Kennedy, Abernethy was an All-SEC point guard, averaging 12.3 points and 6.3 assists per game in helping the team win the SEC West. Abernethy finished his playing career at Ole Miss with 1,036 points. He also recorded 431 assists, which ranks fourth in school history. Abernethy also made the SEC Academic Honor Roll three times.
From 2007-2013, Abernethy played professional basketball in the Netherlands, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine and Poland. In 2010, Abernethy played in Estonia for Tartu Rock and won the Estonian Championship. In 2012, while playing in Ventspils, Latvia, his team advanced to the EuroChallenge Elite 8.
Abernethy graduated from Ole Miss in 2007 with a degree in banking and finance. He and his wife, Micah Abernethy, have two daughters, Ruthie and Maria, and two sons, Jack and William. Micah lettered in track and field and cross-country and earned a degree in Marketing at Ole Miss.
Head Coach John Jakus
"Todd comes from a great basketball family going back to his father who played at Indiana and then in the NBA. Todd was a great player in the SEC and was a four-year starter who by the time he finished was an all-league player. He then became a great coach, first as an assistant at the SEC level and then as head coach of my alma mater in Trinity. With our ties at TIU, we have many shared mutual connections. Over the past five years, Todd has been an instrumental part to the development of the FAU players and program into a Final Four team. When meeting with the team, it was clear how much Todd meant to all of them, making this hire as much about the guys as anything else."
Herald-Time: Codeword Hickory: Todd Abernethy takes lessons from the 1976 Hoosiers in FAU coaching role
When assistant coach Todd Abernethy is watching his Florida Atlantic University Owls go through their pre-game paces and hears the word “Hickory” from the distance, he knows his father is in the arena.
The man is just not any dad. He is Tom Abernethy, South Bend native and starting forward for the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers, college basketball’s last undefeated men’s champions. “Hickory,” as in the Hickory Huskers of "Hoosiers" movie fame, is the predetermined code that father and son have worked out to announce his presence.
Dad tries to catch as many FAU games as he can, and why not? As of Jan. 28 the Owls owned the nation’s longest winning streak at 20 games and are ranked in the AP Top 25 for the third straight week. These are new heights, thanks to a young and energetic coaching staff headed by a fellow Hoosier native, Dusty May. May, 46, played his high school basketball in southern Indiana (Eastern Greene) and then went on to become a student manager at Indiana University under Bob Knight.
Todd Abernethy, 38, and a father of four, played his high school basketball at Heritage Christian in Indianapolis. He received a scholarship to Mississippi and enjoyed a solid career at Ole Miss. He first met May at an IU basketball camp while he was in high school and May was a manager. They later ran into each other when Abernethy was an assistant at Ole Miss and May was an assistant at Florida. When May had an opening on his FAU staff in 2019, one of his first calls was to Abernethy.
Feel good story
Now Abernethy finds himself basking in college basketball’s Cinderella story of the 2022-23 season. At 21-1 the Owls are off to their best start in their 25-year history, a history with only five winning seasons prior to the arrival of May and his staff, who are about to equal that number in just five years.
Being ranked in the Top 25 is a first for the Owls, who are appearing in most projected NCAA brackets, which would make them the second FAU team to ever make the tournament. Although they are in firm control of Conference USA at the moment, the Owls probably will need to keep winning to build their resume for an at-large bid, should they stumble in the conference tournament. The only guaranteed bid for a mid-major like C-USA goes to the tournament champion.
But for now the Owls are enjoying the journey. They are a team without egos, happy to share minutes and shots. Sound familiar? Todd points to the ’76 Hoosiers. Although that team had stars such as Scott May, Kent Benson and Quinn Buckner, they also had role players such as Tom Abernethy, who averaged 10 points, five rebounds and often guarded the opposition’s best forward.
“Dad’s team, that ’76 team, they all sacrificed and did whatever the team needed,” Todd said. “We told our guys from Day One that “You all could be at another school playing more minutes and scoring more points, but to be part of a championship-level program you have to be willing to sacrifice.
“I think what Dusty and I both value, being from Indiana, is guys that play basketball the right way – making good decisions, being fundamentally sound, making shot fakes, sharing the basketball.
"One thing that makes our team really unique is that we have guys who love passing. When they drive it and help comes, they are so willing to kick the ball off, make the extra pass.”
Keeping Hoosier ties
Dusty May is happy to bring in former Hoosiers to speak to his team. Tom Abernethy was a no-brainer. Others include Dane Fife, Charlie Miller and former IU coach Mike Davis – all who were at IU when May was a manager. As a student of the game, May is taking note of what separates the good teams from the great ones.
https://www.heraldtimesonline.com/s...m-76-hoosiers-in-coaching-at-fau/69854590007/
2026 Recruiting
SG Quincy Wadley
“They changed their scheme a little this year because they had two bigs, Asa (Newell) and another big on the floor. They want me to come in and play in the open floor, play with a lot of freedom. I know it is a new coach, but they talk a lot about how Anthony Edwards was used, and they want me to be next in line.”
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