John Abdou

	Last College: Cal-Irvine '01
	Position: Head Coach

11/01/2009

Bucknell Men's Water Polo vs. Penn State Behrend and St. Francis (N.Y.)

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09/25/2009

Bucknell Men's Water Polo vs. Johns Hopkins

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Phone: 570-577-1833
Email: ja031@bucknell.edu

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 sixth 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.

In his two years at the helm of the men's program, Abdou has led the Bison to their third and fourth consecutive above-.500 finishes. Bucknell has faced 34 ranked opponents over that span and spent a total of 12 weeks in the national rankings, climbing as high as No. 17.

In Abdou's final campaign as an assistant coach he helped the squad post an impressive 20-13 mark, 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 they were ranked at the conclusion of a season. Additionally, the men's program has finished in the top five at the Eastern Championship all five years Abdou has been associated with the program.

On the women's side, Abdou has been named the Collegiate Water Polo Association Southern Division Women's Coach of the Year in each of his three seasons on the pool deck. Bucknell 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.

Abdou has continued that momentum over the last two campaigns, helping the Bison to a combined 35-27 mark over that span. 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 99-63 (.617).

As an assistant coach, Abdou served as the primary West Coast recruiter for both the men's and women's programs and has continued to make his mark in recruiting circles as head coach, bringing a wealth of talent to Lewisburg. Over the last five years, Abdou has helped the Bison men's team ink 13 players from his home state, including current freshmen Julian Colina, Mike Kimble and Alex Nowlin. Eleven California natives dotted the 2010 women's roster.

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. He is currently an assistant coach of the U.S. Men's Senior National "B" Team.