Lawrence Abney (born May 19, 1977) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player who was most recently the head coach of the Saskatchewan Rattlers of the

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(CEBL). Born in

Nyack, New York Nyack () is a Village (New York), village primarily located in the Town (New York), town of Orangetown, New York, Orangetown in Rockland County, New York, United States. Incorporated in 1872, a small western section of the village lies in Clarkst ...

, he was nicknamed ''Birdman'' throughout his career for his athleticism.

High school career

Abney attended Nyack High School in

. As a junior in 1993–94, he averaged 16.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game as he earned fourth team all-state honors. As a senior in 1994–95, he averaged 18.5 points, 15.0 rebounds and 5.0 blocks per game as he earned honorable mention All-America honors from ''USA Today'' as well as first team all-state honors. In April 1995, he signed a

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to play

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for Fresno State University.

College career

After sitting out the 1995–96 season while meeting NCAA eligibility requirements, Abney spent his freshman season at Fresno City College in 1996–97 where he helped the Rams to their first Central Valley Conference title since 1987 and a berth in the state final four. In 34 games, he averaged 10.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. In 1997, Abney returned to Fresno State where as a sophomore in 1997–98, he was one of three players to play in all 34 games, starting in 13. He posted seven double-digit scoring games and had three double-doubles. In those 34 games, he averaged 5.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. In his junior season, he finished second on the team in field goal percentage with .559 and spent two weeks as an American representative on the People to People basketball tour in Greece. In 33 games (25 starts), he averaged 6.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. In his senior season, he was named to the All-WAC second team after he helped Fresno State win the

Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the Western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, Texas, Utah and Washington (state), Washington. Due to ...

championship. In 34 games, he averaged 10.3 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. On February 17, 2000, he broke a modern-day (post-1973) NCAA Division I record when he pulled down 35 rebounds in a game against Southern Methodist University – the most in a single game since 1965.

Professional career

Early years (2000–2005)

After graduating from Fresno State, Abney joined the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs for the 2000 United States Basketball League season. In July 2000, he joined the

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for the Rocky Mountain Revue. Later that year, he signed with the Trenton Shooting Stars for the 2000–01 IBL season. In 2001, he re-joined the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs. Later that year, he signed with the Mobis Automons for the 2001–02

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season. Following the KBL season, he joined the Adirondack Wildcats for the 2002 USBL season. In July 2002, he joined the

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for the 2002 NBA Summer League. On October 31, 2002, he was selected in the 10th round of the 2002 NBA D-League draft by the Asheville Altitude. In 2003, he signed with Beauvais BC of France for the 2003–04

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season, and in 2004, he signed with ETHA Engomis of Cyprus for the 2004–05

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season. In the 2005 off-season, he played for Cocodrilos de Caracas, the New Jersey Flyers and Reales de La Vega.

Australia (2005–2008)

In August 2005, Abney signed with the

Townsville Crocodiles The Townsville Crocodiles were an Australian professional men's basketball team based in the North Queensland city of Townsville. They competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at the Townsville Entertain ...

for the

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. He went on to be named to the All-NBL first team and garnered NBL All-Star honors. On February 10, 2006, he re-signed with the Crocodiles on a two-year deal. Later that month, he joined Étendard de Brest of France for the rest of the 2005–06

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season. In 2006–07, he was again an NBL All-Star honoree and was named to the All-NBL second team. In March 2007, he joined Al Jaish Damascus of Syria. On April 19, 2007, he signed a new two-year deal with the

Cairns Taipans The Cairns Taipans are an Australian professional basketball team based in Cairns, Queensland. The Taipans compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Cairns Convention Centre, known colloquially as "The S ...

, reportedly leaving the Crocodiles for more money. In 2007–08, he was again an NBL All-Star honoree. On December 11, 2008, Abney was released by the Taipans because the club could not longer afford him, fellow import Dave Thomas or head coach Alan Black. The Taipans did continue playing, however, only after the entire team agreed to a blanket 45 per cent pay cut for the rest of the season.

Europe and Argentina (2009–2010)

On January 19, 2009, Abney signed with

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for the rest of the 2008–09 season. In the summer of 2009, he signed with

Ciclista Olímpico Club Ciclista Olímpico La Banda, also known as simply Ciclista Olímpico, is an Argentine sports club based in La Banda, Santiago del Estero. The club is mostly known for its basketball team, which currently plays in the Liga Nacional de Básque ...

of Argentina for the 2009–10 season. In November 2009, he left Ciclista Olímpico and signed with

Estudiantes de Bahía Blanca Club Estudiantes de Bahía Blanca is an Argentine sports club based in Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires Province. The club is best known for its basketball team, that currently played in the main levels of Argentina, including Campeonato Argentino an ...

. In December 2009, he left Estudiantes after seven games. In February 2010, he signed with Halcones Rojos Veracruz of Mexico but left after just eight games. On March 18, 2010, he signed with BC Khimik of the

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. However, on April 8, 2010, he was waived by Khimik after just four games. In the summer of 2010, he signed with Gimnasia y Esgrima of Argentina for the 2010–11 season. In November 2010, he left Gimnasia. The next month, he received a try-out from BC Odesa of Ukraine.

Return to NBL (2012)

On January 11, 2012, Abney signed with the Southland Sharks for the 2012 New Zealand NBL season. On October 2, 2012, Abney returned to the Townsville Crocodiles, signing with the club for the 2012–13 NBL season. However, on November 28, 2012, he announced his retirement on advice from his surgeon, who discovered a small hole in his thigh bone. He managed just nine games for the Crocodiles in 2012–13, averaging 4.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.

Corporate career

Following his retirement from professional basketball, Abney transitioned into corporate America, eventually earning a position as a District Sales Manager for Pepsico FritoLay North America, where he remained until 2017.

Coaching career

In 2017, Abney joined the staff of the Los Angeles Clippers as a player development coach and basketball operations assistant under head coach Glenn "Doc" Rivers. On February 15, 2024, Abney became head coach of the Saskatchewan Rattlers of the

Personal

Abney is the son of Robin Hauser. He has one younger brother, three younger sisters, and four sons. In 2017 he received his master's degree in Business Administration from the Craig School of Business (Fresno State). In 2018 alongside childhood friends, former teammates, and fellow Rockland, NY natives Steve Canal and Chester Felts, Abney co-founded Rockland Legacy, an organization that provides support and mentorship to help Rockland County's youth achieve their dreams.

References

External links