How Katie Abrahamson-Henderson can overhaul Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball recruiting

When putting together the No. 21 recruiting class in the 2022 cycle, Katie Abrahamson-Henderson didn’t have to look far to find her top prospect.

The then-UCF coach recruited her daughter, Savannah Henderson, who signed with the Knights in November. 6-foot-1 Savannah is the No. 47 player in the class, per ESPN and No. 10 wing player.

“It should be really exciting to see how that dynamic works,” Henderson told the Orlando Sentinel. “My mom is a great coach. I trust her abilities completely. I’ve seen her coach my whole life.”

UCF also signed 6-foot-1 forward Amiya Evans, rated the No. 66 player in the 2022 class.

Two prospects in the Top 100 was the same amount Georgia signed in November, but both numbers will change after this week’s coaching changes.

More: UGA hires Lady Bulldogs basketball coach. What to know about UCF's Katie Abrahamson-Henderson

Abrahamson-Henderson was named the next coach of the Lady Bulldogs Saturday, replacing Joni Taylor who left for Texas A&M Wednesday.

Between Wednesday and Saturday, UGA’s recruiting future and present was altered. Class of 2023 four-star commit Diana Collins from Brookwood announced on Wednesday night she was decommitting from Georgia, less than three months after her verbal pledge. The same day, sophomore guard Sarah Ashlee Barker entered the transfer portal. Class of 2022 signee Janiah Barker, rated the No. 3 overall prospect, was granted a release from her national letter of intent and decommitted Thursday.

Friday, freshman guard Reigan Richardson also entered the transfer portal.

More: Flights, rumors and transfers: A timeline of the Georgia Lady Bulldogs' tumultuous Wednesday

It’s unclear if Woodward Academy’s Sydney Bowles was also granted release from her NLI after the No. 37 prospect signed with Georgia in November. She was named the Gatorade Georgia girl’s basketball Player of the Year after leading Woodward to a state championship.

So Coach Abe, as she’s known by her peers and players, has her work cut out for her in keeping the standard in recruiting that Taylor set.

That began Saturday morning as she held a team meeting over zoom, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. UGA was set to return the bulk of production from this past season, despite the departures of super seniors Que Morrison and Jenna Staiti. Then the transfers came and more could still come, but there are opportunities for Abrahamson-Henderson to bring experience and perhaps players from Orlando with her to Athens.

More: 'They're not going away': Top-10 recruiting class bolsters future for Georgia Lady Bulldogs

Henderson will likely be granted a release from her UCF as her mom leaves. Getting to coach her daughter was something that the head coach was looking forward to.

“I’m really excited she gets to be close to home,” Abrahamson-Henderson said. “Both of us, mom and dad, get to see her play. Even her little sister (Brooklyn) gets to see her play.”

Henderson wasn’t rated a Top 50 player just because her mom has coached Division 1. She has the talent. She averaged 14.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game in her junior season. Prior to summer 2021, Henderson suffered a knee injury that limited her play, but she added strength, improved her outside shooting over the p year and is a strong defender.

“She can play at the front of the press and wants to play at the front of the press,” Abrahamson-Henderson said in a UCF press release on signing day. “She loves to run and jump; she's super athletic, long and tall. She's got a beautiful shot. She can shoot from anywhere and she's not afraid to shoot it.”

Before the decommitment of Barker, Georgia turned in the No. 7 recruiting class and second-best class in the SEC, just behind South Carolina. Under Taylor, there was a huge emphasis on the best women’s high school basketball players in Georgia to play college ball in Athens.

Keeping players in state was a big key for Abrahamson-Henderson, too. Six out of the last 10 prospects to sign with UCF came from Florida.

McClain Baxley is a recruiting reporter for the Athens Banner-Herald and the USA TODAY Network. Reach him by email at mbaxley@onlineathens.com or on Twitter at @mcclainbaxley.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: UGA Lady Bulldogs: Katie Abrahamson-Henderson's recruiting work