Abe Woldeslassie ’08 begins his seventh season as the head coach of the men’s basketball team at Macalester. Woldeslassie returned to his alma mater in 2018 to take over a program that had won just 35 games in the previous 10 seasons. His infectious enthusiasm and true passion for the game have been passed on to his team, which increased its winning percentage in each of his first five seasons at Macalester.
Woldeslassie's first team was 7-18 in his first year after a 3-22 campaign the year before his arrival. His second team improved to 8-17, followed by the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season that saw Macalester go 2-2. The 2021-22 squad finished 15-13 and were the first No. 6 seed in MIAC history to make the conference championship game. In 2022-23 the Scots had the program's best record (15-11) and highest MIAC regular-season finish (fourth) since 2003-04. The 15 wins are the program's third-most over the past 40 years of men's basketball at Macalester.
Woldeslassie, who was chosen the HoopDirt.com Division III Coach of the Week Feb. 22, 2022 after the Scots' playoff victory over St. Scholastica, was named the Region 9 Coach of the Year by D3Hoops.com after the successful 2021-22 season.
Woldeslassie returned to Macalester following a two-year stint as an assistant coach at Siena College, where he helped the Saints advance to the finals of the 2017 MAAC Tournament.
Prior to his time at Siena, he served as the director of basketball operations at Davidson College. While at Davidson, the Wildcats posted 20-win campaigns and advanced to national postseason tournaments in each of Woldeslassie’s three seasons with the program. The Wildcats amassed 64 wins, captured two conference regular-season titles, made two NIT appearances, and earned the program’s first at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2015.
Before Davidson, Woldeslassie also was the director of basketball operations at Dartmouth College of the Ivy League for one season. His coaching career started in the NESCAC in 2010 at Bowdoin College, where he served as an assistant coach for two years.
Since 2010, Woldeslassie has helped develop student-athletes who have played professionally in Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and Uruguay.
Woldeslassie played two seasons at Macalester after transferring from the University of St. Thomas. As a Scot, he was a two-time, All-MIAC guard and led the conference in assists both seasons. In 50 career games, Woldeslassie averaged 17.2 points and 5.4 assists per game while totaling 858 points. He graduated in 2008 with a degree in sociology.
A native of Minneapolis, Woldeslassie attended St. Thomas Academy, where he was an all-conference player and team co-MVP in 2004. He also serves on the Board of Directors for MinneapolisNEXT, which provides need-based high school scholarships for youth in the Twin Cities. He also serves as the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Region 9 chairman.
Coaching Experience
Macalester College, Head Coach (2018-present)
Siena College, Assistant Coach (2016-2018)
Davidson College, Director of Basketball Operations (2013-2016)
Dartmouth College, Director of Basketball Operations (2012-2013)
Bowdoin College, Assistant Coach (2010-2012)
