Lindenwood University Athletics

Thomas Abdenour enters his fifth season as an assistant coach of the Lindenwood men's basketball program during the 2023-24 season.

In 2022-23, Lindenwood earned a spot in the OVC Championship tournament after a wild ending to the year.  The Lions took down in-state rival Southeast Missouri State in double-overtime to keep their postseason hopes alive.  In the final game of the regular season, Lindenwood needed a win to move on, and Kevin Caldwell Jr. answered the call with a game-winning bucket in overtime.
 
Lindenwood led the OVC in free-throw percentage (75.6), and was second in the OVC in three-point percentage (39.1).  Chris Childs held the top spot in the league with a free-throw percentage of 92.7, while Keenon Cole was atop the OVC with a three-point percentage of 51.0 percent.  The Lions clawed their way to three overtime wins on the season.  Lindenwood also posted two comeback victories from 20 points down, and another 17-point comeback during OVC play.

The 2020-21 season was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The Lions went 10-10 on the season, including a 10-9 mark in the GLVC.  After playing all conference games during the regular season, the Lions finished fifth in the GLVC.  Lindenwood led the league with an average of 81.9 points per game, with the help of a conference-leading free throw percentage of 80.1.  The Lions played tight defense on the ball, registering 7.05 steals per game with a turnover margin of +2.55, which was second-best in the GLVC.
 
The Lions were led by TJ Crockett who led the GLVC by more than eight points per game with is 27.5 average per contest.  Crockett was named a D2CCA All-American as he was one of the nation’s leading scorers across all levels of collegiate basketball.  Crockett was recognized as an NABC all-district performer, as he was third in the nation with his 550 points at the time he received the award.  Crockett was a unanimous first-team All-GLVC selection, as he added four GLVC Player of the Week honors during the year. 
 
The Lions clawed their way through the end of the season, as the team battled through injuries.  Lindenwood earned an upset win over No. 25 Missouri-St. Louis early in the season.  The Lions won four of their final six regular season games, three of which were games won in overtime.  The three overtime victories set a program record for most in a single season.

In 2019-20, Abdenour helped coach the team to a strong offense, as the team was ranked second in the GLVC in points per game as a unit, putting up 81.2 points per game. The team also was one of the better squads at limiting turnovers, as the team finished fourth in the conference with a +2.54 turnover margin. The Lions closed out the season with wins in three of their final four games, all of which came at home.

Abdenour brings coaching experience at various levels of basketball with him to St. Charles, Mo. Most recently, Abdenour spent two seasons (2018 and 2019) as the head coach of the NBA affiliated Warriors Gaming Squad, where he was a 2019 Coach of the Year finalist. While coaching with the Warriors Gaming Squad, Abdenour developed game plans which included individual player scouting reports and both offensive and defensive schemes. Abdenour managed the game by calling play and timeouts, diagramming plays, and employing in-game adjustments for his team's offensive and defensive sets. Additionally, Abdenour was tasked with the direction of video sessions for both self-scouting review and opponent scouting.

Prior to his stint with the Warriors Gaming Squad, Abdenour spent two seasons (2017-18 and 2018-19) as a special assistant to the head coach and a video coordinator assistant coach for the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA G League. Abdenour helped guide Santa Cruz to the best record in the G League during the 2018-19 campaign. Abdenour was an integral part of the Warriors' coaching staff, assisting with scouting reports, play diagrams, and game plan preparation.

Before arriving in Santa Cruz, Abdenour spent three years (2014-17) in various roles with the Grand Rapids Drive of the NBA G League. Abdenour served as a video coordinator, assistant coach, and a coaching associate during his time with the Drive.

Over his five year tenure in the NBA G League, Abdenour has coached 50 players who have played in the NBA including 15 NBA call ups and one player drafted into the NBA. A few players include 2019-2020 NBA Rookie of the Year Finalist Kendrick Nunn, Spencer Dinwiddie, Georges Niang, Lorenzo Brown, CJ Wilcox, Quinn Cook, Juan Toscano-Anderson, and Jordan Crawford.

Abdenour was a member of the staff at NCAA Division I Central Michigan, where he worked alongside Kyle Gerdeman, during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons. Abdenour arrived at Central Michigan as a graduate intern in 2012-13, before elevating to the position of video coordinator during the 2013-14 campaign.

Abdenour was a student manager at the University of Utah from 2008-11.

Abdenour graduated from the University of Utah in 2012 with a bachelor's degree in sports management. Just one year later in 2013, Abdenour earned his master's degree in education from the University of Washington.