Jump To Top of Page

MBB ICYMI: Todd Abernethy Named Assistant Coach for the Georgia Bulldogs

Todd Abernethy, who helped Florida Atlantic to NCAA Tournament bids two of the past three years, including reaching the 2023 Final Four, has been named assistant coach for the Georgia Bulldogs, head coach Mike White announced on Tuesday.

Abernethy spent the previous six seasons coaching at FAU during the Owls’ most successful stretch in program history, including postseason bids each of the past four seasons. He is returning to his roots in the SEC. Abernethy sports eight seasons of experience at Ole Miss, four as a player from 2003-07 and four as an assistant coach from 2014-18. In fact, White was an assistant coach on the Rebels’ staff during Abernethy’s sophomore, junior and senior seasons.

“I’m incredibly excited to reunite with Coach White and to return to the SEC,” Abernethy said. “Coach White made a huge impact on me as a player and has continued to do so throughout my career. He was instrumental in my development and played a huge part in me becoming an All-SEC guard as a senior. It’s no secret that the SEC is the best league in the country, and I’m thrilled to be back.”

All told, 10 of 11 teams Abernethy has coached finished .500 or better and six have advanced to postseason play. Those squads have produced 13 all-conference honorees – three at Ole Miss, two at Trinity International and eight at FAU. Abernethy helped recruit and develop standouts such as Alijah Martin, Johnell Davis and Vladislav Goldin with the Owls.

FAU recorded a winning record in each of Abernethy’s six seasons in Boca Raton and earned four postseason bids. Five of those campaigns were working with Dusty May, who was on White’s staff at Louisiana Tech and Florida before becoming the Owls’ head coach.

The highlight of that span was during 2022-23 when the Owls notched a nation-leading 35 victories and advanced to the Final Four. After sweeping the Conference USA regular-season and tournament titles, FAU was seeded ninth in the East Regional and defeated No. 8 Memphis, No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson, No. 4 Tennessee and No. 3 Kansas State to reach the NCAA semifinals in Houston. There, the Owls dropped a 72-71 setback to San Diego State to finish with a 35-4 record.

Florida Atlantic returned to “March Madness” in 2024, finishing 25-9 and placing second in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) in the Owls’ first year in the league.

The Owls were 18-16 last winter and secured an invite to the 2025 NIT.

During Abernethy’s first three seasons at FAU, the Owls were 17-15 in 2019-20, 13-10 in 2020-21 and 19-15 in 2021-22. FAU earned a bid to the 2022 Roman College Basketball Invitational (CBI). Abernethy spent the 2018-19 campaign as head coach at Trinity International University, an NAIA school in Bannockburn, Ill., where he led the Trojans to a 15-15 record.

That was preceded by a successful four-season stint at Ole Miss, which included a trio of 20-win seasons, reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2015 and advancing to the NIT quarterfinals in 2017.

Abernethy began his coaching career by serving as director of basketball operations and video coordinator at IUPUI during the 2013-14 season.

A 2023 inductee into the Ole Miss Athletics Hall of Fame, Abernethy was a three-year captain for the Rebels. As a senior during the 2006-07 season, he led the Rebels to a 21-13 finish, the SEC Western Division title and the NIT’s round of 16.

Individually, Abernethy earned SEC accolades as an All-Freshman pick in 2004, the league’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2005 and an All-SEC honoree by both league coaches and the AP in 2007. He was also tabbed second-team NABC All-District as a senior. Abernethy scored 1,036 points at Ole Miss and when he graduated ranked among the Rebels’ top-10 career leaders in total assists (No. 3 at 431), 3-pointers (No. 5 with 158), 3-point attempts (No. 5 with 414), average assists (No. 6 at 3.53), games played (No. 6 with 122), 3-point percentage (No. 7 at .382) and minutes played (No. 9 with 3,533).

Before his coaching career, Abernethy enjoyed a successful six-year career playing professionally in Europe with stops in the Netherlands, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine and Poland. In 2010, his Tartu Rock squad won the Estonian Championship, and he later helped BK Ventspils in Latvia reach the Final 8 of the EuroChallenge in 2012. Abernethy’s professional playing career has greatly assisted in his strong record of recruiting internationally as a coach.

Abernethy was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll four times and was voted first-team Academic All-District by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) in both 2006 and 2007. He received his bachelor’s degree in Banking and Finance in 2007 and was Ole Miss’ male nominee for the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Award that spring.

A native of Carmel, Ind., Abernethy and his wife, Micah, have two daughters, Ruthie and Maria, and two sons, Jack and Nash. Micah lettered in track & field and cross country and earned a degree in Marketing at Ole Miss.

Georgia’s home schedule for the 2025-26 season is expected to feature 18 games, including the matchup against arch-rival Georgia Tech and nine SEC dates. The renewal process for existing season ticket holders will begin in July. Information on new season tickets is available here.

Jump To Today’s Discussion Thread