Codeword Hickory: Todd Abernethy takes lessons from the 1976 Hoosiers in FAU coaching role

When assistant coach Todd Abernethy is watching his Florida Atlantic University Owls go through their pre-game paces and hears the word “Hickory” from the distance, he knows his father is in the arena.

The man is just not any dad. He is Tom Abernethy, South Bend native and starting forward for the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers, college basketball’s last undefeated men’s champions. “Hickory,” as in the Hickory Huskers of "Hoosiers" movie fame, is the predetermined code that father and son have worked out to announce his presence.

Dad tries to catch as many FAU games as he can, and why not? As of Jan. 28 the Owls owned the nation’s longest winning streak at 20 games and are ranked in the AP Top 25 for the third straight week. These are new heights, thanks to a young and energetic coaching staff headed by a fellow Hoosier native, Dusty May. May, 46, played his high school basketball in southern Indiana (Eastern Greene) and then went on to become a student manager at Indiana University under Bob Knight.

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Todd Abernethy, 38, and a father of four, played his high school basketball at Heritage Christian in Indianapolis. He received a scholarship to Mississippi and enjoyed a solid career at Ole Miss. He first met May at an IU basketball camp while he was in high school and May was a manager. They later ran into each other when Abernethy was an assistant at Ole Miss and May was an assistant at Florida. When May had an opening on his FAU staff in 2019, one of his first calls was to Abernethy.

Feel good story

Now Abernethy finds himself basking in college basketball’s Cinderella story of the 2022-23 season. At 21-1 the Owls are off to their best start in their 25-year history, a history with only five winning seasons prior to the arrival of May and his staff, who are about to equal that number in just five years.

Being ranked in the Top 25 is a first for the Owls, who are appearing in most projected NCAA brackets, which would make them the second FAU team to ever make the tournament. Although they are in firm control of Conference USA at the moment, the Owls probably will need to keep winning to build their resume for an at-large bid, should they stumble in the conference tournament. The only guaranteed bid for a mid-major like C-USA goes to the tournament champion.

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But for now the Owls are enjoying the journey. They are a team without egos, happy to share minutes and shots. Sound familiar? Todd points to the ’76 Hoosiers. Although that team had stars such as Scott May, Kent Benson and Quinn Buckner, they also had role players such as Tom Abernethy, who averaged 10 points, five rebounds and often guarded the opposition’s best forward.

“Dad’s team, that ’76 team, they all sacrificed and did whatever the team needed,” Todd said. “We told our guys from Day One that “You all could be at another school playing more minutes and scoring more points, but to be part of a championship-level program you have to be willing to sacrifice.

“I think what Dusty and I both value, being from Indiana, is guys that play basketball the right way – making good decisions, being fundamentally sound, making shot fakes, sharing the basketball.

"One thing that makes our team really unique is that we have guys who love passing. When they drive it and help comes, they are so willing to kick the ball off, make the extra pass.”

Keeping Hoosier ties

Dusty May is happy to bring in former Hoosiers to speak to his team. Tom Abernethy was a no-brainer. Others include Dane Fife, Charlie Miller and former IU coach Mike Davis – all who were at IU when May was a manager. As a student of the game, May is taking note of what separates the good teams from the great ones.

“We study the best teams at all levels and the only common denominator we find is that they enjoy passing the basketball,” May said.

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Where a lot of college teams rely on the individual skills and moves of their best players, FAU continues to stress teamwork. The Owls average 28 field goals a game and 15 assists, meaning the majority of baskets are set up by a teammate. Nine Owls play 15 minutes or more and only three average scoring in double figures. The highest average on the team hovers around 13 points. Combine that with relentless man-to-man defense, and it is no mystery why the Owls are soaring.

“We play fast and we have amazing cutting, something very rare about the college game today,” Abernethy said. “A lot of guys stand and watch, but we cut and open up gaps for the ball handlers who are very willing passers. With guys who are totally surrendered, they understand some nights are going to be their nights, and other nights they are going to have to support their teammates.”

It is one thing to know what works but another to be able to teach it, Todd said.

“What Dusty got from Coach Knight, one of the best ever, is the ability to teach guys how to play basketball. That’s the real gift he has. With our guys, we have a lot who have bought into how Dusty wants them to play. ‘Fundamental’ is the Hoosier flavor but so is being mentally tough, being really gritty, defensively. At the end of the day we are all going to reap the benefits of being a part of a winning program and a special season.”

Lynn Houser covered sports for the H-T from 1984-2012. Also contributing to this piece was former Indiana sportswriter Jim Saturday. They both retired to Delray Beach, Fla.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Todd Abernethy takes lessons from '76 Hoosiers in coaching at FAU