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Phone: 570-577-1833
John Abdou, who previously served in the role of interim head coach for five months, was named the head men's and women's water polo coach at Bucknell in June 2008. Abdou, a 2001 graduate of the University of California at Irvine, is in his fifth year as a member of the Bison men's and women's water polo coaching staffs, serving as an assistant coach, associate head coach, interim head coach and now head coach over that span. Abdou led the Bison men to their third consecutive .500 finish in his first year as frontman in 2008. Bucknell faced 17 nationally ranked teams and spent four weeks in the rankings, climbing as high as No. 18. That performance followed up a 20-13 record in 2007, Abdou's final campaign as an assistant coach. It was Bucknell's first 20-win season since 2001. The Bison finished the year ranked 19th nationally, marking the second time in Abdou's three years on the sidelines as an assistant that it was ranked at the conclusion of a season. Additionally, the men's program has finished in the top five at the Eastern Championships all four years Abdou has been associated with the program. On the women's side, Abdou, the 2008 and 2009 Collegiate Water Polo Association Southern Division Women's Coach of the Year, performed admirably in his stint as interim head coach when he led the squad to a program-record 26 victories and a sixth-place showing at the Eastern Championship. Bucknell was nationally ranked for six weeks during the season, climbing as high as No. 19 in the polls, the best ranking in the then decade-long existence of the program. Since arriving at Bucknell in the summer of 2005, Abdou has helped the Bison women's team post a pair of 20-win campaigns and accumulate an overall record of 82-53. As an assistant coach, Abdou served as the primary West Coast recruiter for both the men's and women's programs and has brought a wealth of talent to Lewisburg. Over the last four years, Abdou has helped the Bison men's team ink 10 players from his home state, including current freshman Brett Thompson. Eleven California natives dotted the 2009 women's roster, while three more Californians are part of the women's Class of 2013. Prior to his stint at Bucknell, Abdou served as the director and head coach of both the men's and women's water polo programs at Burbank High School in Burbank, Calif., from 2001-2005. The area's Girls Water Polo Coach of the Year winner in 2004 and 2005, Abdou took a pair of teams with losing records and transformed them into perennial winners, participating in the league playoffs each of the last three years. Along with handling the coaching duties at Burbank, Abdou was a social science teacher. He was voted one of Los Angeles' Most Inspirational Teachers in 2005 and was chosen to pioneer the school's first advanced placement course in psychology. He also handled duties as the advisor for the senior class in 2005. Abdou has also organized and conducted district tryouts for United States Water Polo as the Wilshire District boys cadet coach. He also worked with United States Water Polo as the C.C. Zone girls' youth assistant coach. Since 2002, Abdou has been part of the coaching staff at the Naval Academy Water Polo Camp. Abdou got his start in coaching when he was the head assistant boys' water polo coach as his alma mater, Temple City High School in Temple City, Calif., in 1998. As a player at Temple City, Abdou earned all-league and team MVP honors while serving as team captain. Abdou, who serves the U.S. Water Polo Northeast zone as a coach in several capacities, played for the U.S. Junior National Team during his freshman year at UC Irvine. |
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