Basketball and Networking: Coach Abe Speaks on Challenges Women Face in Sports Industry

UAlbany women’s head basketball coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson “Coach Abe” is hosting a “basketball and networking” event on Jan. 22. She will speak on challenges women face in the sports industry. (Photo by Bill Ziskin)

ALBANY, N.Y. (January 13, 2016) – University at Albany women’s head basketball coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson “Coach Abe” often discusses the challenges women face in the sports industry. In her sixth year as UAlbany’s head coach, and with a successful coaching tenure, she believes a gender gap in sports is hurting women in business.

Coach Abe will explore this issue and other topics at a “basketball and networking” event on Jan. 22 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. It will be held at Creo, Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany.

Those who sign up to attend can also purchase $3 tickets to watch UAlbany women’s basketball take on America East Conference rival Stony Brook on Jan. 21. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at SEFCU Arena.

Since taking over in 2010, Coach Abe has turned the Great Danes into an America East powerhouse. Her teams have won four consecutive conference tournaments and made as many NCAA tournament appearances. Last season, UAlbany nearly upset No. 4 seeded Duke University in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, falling 54-52, in the final seconds.

The Great Danes are once again predicted to place first in the America East Conference this season. The team is led by senior forward Shereesha Richards, a WNBA prospect and the program’s first Division I All-America, along with junior guard Imani Tate, the 2014-15 America East Conference Sixth Player of the Year.

Off the court, Coach Abe has taken a lead role in empowering women across the Capital District. She’s developed her own networking group of working women “Uptown Stilettos” which has more than 200 members, including notables like Price Chopper’s Mona Golub. The group has not only helped raise funds for the women’s basketball program, but also serve as role models for her players and young women in the community.

“The more women we network with, the more it will help young women in the Capital Region feel empowered,” Abrahamson-Henderson said. “"I am really excited about this upcoming event. It offers the opportunity for my players and many other young women in the community to gain experience from role models in the workforce. By creating a support system with these outstanding women, they can better prepare themselves for the working world.”

Coach Abe’s “basketball and networking event” will be hosted by Capital Region Women@Work - a bimonthly magazine devoted to helping women managers and executives navigate the world of work. Tickets are $25 ($20 for Women@Work subscribers) and can be purchased at cheerthedanes.eventbrite.com.

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