‘Coach Abe’ will lead Georgia against her alma mater in NCAA second round

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) - This week had been a homecoming for Georgia head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson. The Cedar Rapids Washington graduate and former Hawkeye says that getting to play the first two rounds in Iowa City has been exciting for her family who doesn’t get to see her Bulldogs often. But, when the team learned their seed location on selection Sunday, they were a little surprised.

“I think when we came up on the screen and it said Iowa, they all looked at me, like, are you kidding me? Yeah, these storylines, I’m sorry,” Abrahamson-Henderson said.

This season marks ‘Coach Abe’s’ first season at the helm of the Bulldogs, but she’s taken 12 teams from four different schools to the NCAA Tournament.

“She makes the game fun. She makes it fun to be around practice and be around off the court. She hasn’t told us much about her experience at Iowa. Abe isn’t one to talk about herself, but we know she came here and she lived here and her family will be at the game,” Georgia fifth-year guard Diamond Battles said.

Being back inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena has brought back some fond memories for Coach Abe who was a part of Iowa’s 1989 Sweet 16 team. It’s also special for the current Iowa players to see former Hawkeyes in these roles.

“I think it’s really cool that people who the coaches have these relationships with, are in these coaching positions. The coaching world is very male-dominated, even in women’s basketball. It’s really cool to play against any other female coach, but to have that coach have a connection to Iowa, is pretty special,” Iowa fifth-year center Monika Czinano said.

“It’s cool to see how many former Iowa players have become coaches. I think that’s really cool. We’ve played against a lot of teams with former Iowa players on their staff, so I think that’s awesome,” Iowa redshirt senior guard Kate Martin added.

It’s extra special for former Cedar Rapids Washington standout and 2023 Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year Hannah Stuelke. It makes them both proud to see fellow Warriors thriving.

“It means a lot. It means we have great women coming out of Wash, Stuelke said.

“We have had a lot of great players come out of Cedar Rapids. Brenda Frese, Stacy Frese, her {Stuelke}, and there’s even more. That program really breeds great players,” Abrahamson-Henderson said.

Iowa and Georgia will tip off at 2 P.M. on Sunday on KCRG-TV9.

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