Georgia Hires Ayla Guzzardo as Women's Basketball Head Coach

The University of Georgia announced the hiring of Ayla Guzzardo as the head coach of its women's basketball program. Guzzardo, who completed her first season at McNeese State University, signed a five-year contract with Georgia. The move comes less than 48 hours after the university announced that former coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson would not return.

Abrahamson-Henderson had been hired by Georgia in 2022 to succeed Joni Taylor, who departed for Texas A&M. Prior to Georgia, Abrahamson-Henderson coached at the University of Central Florida, where she led the team to the NCAA Tournament in three of her last four seasons.

During her four seasons at Georgia, the Bulldogs made two NCAA Tournament appearances, compiling an overall record of 69-59 and a 25-40 record in Southeastern Conference play.

Georgia and Abrahamson-Henderson mutually agreed to part ways on Saturday morning, following the team's appearance as a No. 7 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The program has a history of competitive success, particularly under longtime coach Andy Landers, who led Georgia from 1981 to 2015 and guided the team to five Final Four appearances and eight SEC titles.

Since Landers' retirement, Georgia has qualified for six of the last 10 NCAA Tournaments but has not advanced to the second weekend since 2013, when it lost to California in the Elite Eight.

Guzzardo's hiring was overseen by Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks, a native of Hammond, Louisiana, as is Guzzardo. Before McNeese State, Guzzardo served as head coach at Southeastern Louisiana University, where she achieved the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023 and a record 26 wins in the 2023-24 season.

She inherited a program that had not won 10 or more games in a season for four years and led it to two Southland Conference championships. Guzzardo has been named Southland Conference Coach of the Year three times.

In her first season at McNeese State in 2023-24, Guzzardo won the Southland Conference regular-season title and recorded a program-high 29 wins. The Cowgirls participated in the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament and defeated Texas A&M in the first round. Over nine years as a Division I head coach, Guzzardo holds a 151-111 record, including 95-34 in her last four seasons.

Guzzardo began her coaching career as an assistant at the University of Akron, her alma mater, where she ranks fifth all-time in assists. She was considered for other coaching positions this season, including an interview for the opening at the University of Alabama. Guzzardo becomes the fourth head coach in Georgia women's basketball program history.

The women's basketball transfer portal opens on Monday. Six Georgia players, including leading scorer and All-SEC selection Dani Carnegie, have announced their intentions to enter the portal. The program's next steps will involve roster management and preparation for the 2024-25 season under Guzzardo's leadership.