Vanessa Abel has served as an assistant coach for the St. John's women's basketball program in Queens, New York, since joining the staff in May 2025.
Before arriving at St. John's, Abel spent six seasons at Duquesne, her alma mater, from 2019 to 2025. She worked as an assistant coach for five years before being promoted to associate head coach for the 2024-25 season. Her responsibilities included recruiting, player development, and coordinating the offense. During her final two seasons, Duquesne posted two 20-win campaigns and reached the WNIT twice. In 2024-25, the Dukes ranked among the national leaders in 3-point production, making 10.0 threes per game and setting program records for total 3-pointers and points scored. Abel also was selected for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Next Generation Institute, a program for experienced assistants pursuing head coaching opportunities.
