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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 fourth year as a member of the Bison men's and women's water polo coaching staff, serving as an assistant coach, associate head coach, interim head coach and now head coach over that span. Abdou, the 2008 Collegiate Water Polo Association Southern Division Coach of the Year, performed admirably in his stint as interim head coach of the women's program last spring 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 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 64-36. In his first season as the men's water polo head coach, Abdou led the Bison to a 17-16 record and a fifth-place showing at the Eastern Championship this past fall. It marked the fourth time in the last five years Bucknell has finished above .500 and it brought Abdou's career record between women's and men's competition to 43-26. The Bison received votes in the final national poll after being ranked a handful of weeks during the regular season. As an assistant on the men's side, Abdou helped guide the Bison to a 20-13 record in 2007, its first 20-win campaign since 2001. Bucknell finished the season ranked 19th nationally, marking the second time in Abdou's first three years on the sidelines 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. 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 three years, he has helped the Bison men's team ink nine players from his home state, including four in the latest recruiting class. Seven freshmen and sophomores from California dotted the 2008 women's roster, while four more Californians are part of the women's Class of 2012. Prior to his stint at Bucknell, Abdou, a California native, 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. Recently, Abdou 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. Abdou is single and resides in Lewisburg. |
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