Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim remembered everything good about basketball

Tom Crean told the story to Shareef Abdur-Rahim when they were both at Tampa General Hospital Thursday evening, recounting how Abdur-Rahim's brother inspired the people he met in life.

This particular anecdote was about Amir Abdur-Rahim's first home game during his first season as men's basketball coach at Kennesaw State in 2019. Crean was there with his wife in a crowd he described as “sparse is generous.” But the former Indiana and Marquette coach still remembered the three students in the stands with him, wearing Kennesaw State gear and face paint, and how Abdur-Rahim made them feel “part of the team.” be”.

Crean marveled at his former assistant coach at the University of Georgia and how he seemed to inherently know that building a basketball program is as much about building faith as it is about basketball.

“He would be, without question, in my opinion,” Crean told USA TODAY Sports through tears on Friday morning, “one of the absolutely great coaches that was on everyone's lips in the first set as he continued to develop into him.”

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Amir Abdur-Rahim died Thursday of complications from a medical procedure, less than two weeks before he was scheduled to begin his second season as South Florida men's basketball coach. He was 43 years old.

Abdur-Rahim led USF to a remarkable turnaround in his first season, taking over a program that had finished with a sub-.500 record in 10 of the previous 11 seasons and finishing the 2023-24 season with a record of 25 wins, the American Athletic Conference regular season championship and AAC Coach of the Year honors.

It followed as Abdur-Rahim helped Kennesaw State go from a win in its first season to the program's first winning season and its first NCAA Tournament appearance as a Division I program in 2023.

His sudden death sent shockwaves through the college coaching community because, as Kansas coach Bill Self noted in his condolence message on social media, Abdur-Rahim was considered “a rising star in our sport.” But it was the way Abdur-Rahim interacted with everyone he met along the way that resonated more with the coaches, administrators and players who knew him best than his results.

“His primary goal was always to have the most connected team in college basketball – what he ultimately accomplished is connecting an entire community,” USF athletic director Mike Kelly posted on X on Friday. The former USF Player Kasean Pryor, who transferred to Louisville this offseason, noted on Instagram: “In just one short year of working together, you guys helped change my life forever.”

Abdur-Rahim, a native of Marietta, Georgia, played three seasons at Southeastern Louisiana University (2001-04) after beginning his college career at Garden City Community College for two years, “and he was from the day he arrived a leader,” said Billy Kennedy, who coached Abdur-Rahim at SE Louisiana and later hired him as an assistant coach at Murray State and Texas A&M.

Just like Kennesaw State and USF, Southeast Louisiana accomplished something that had never been done there before Abdur-Rahim's arrival: winning the Southland Conference.

“People admire the fact that he did it the hard way and he was rewarded for it. “That’s rare in athletics or in life today,” Kennedy told USA TODAY Sports. “And he did it with a spirit of gratitude. That was the greatest thing. He never thought he was above anyone.”

“The only fault he had,” Kennedy added, “was that he was stubborn.”

Murray State staff even called Abdur-Rahim “Donkey,” in reference to the character from the animated film “Shrek.” But even that was often expressed in ways that were in the best interests of the players.

“If it was someone we were recruiting and he thought he was a good player and good enough, then he fought for that guy,” Kennedy said. “He was everything that was good in college basketball.”

Crean credits Abdur-Rahim for helping Georgia recruit future NBA star Anthony Edwards, although Abdur-Rahim left the Bulldogs for Kennesaw State before ever coaching Edwards. Abdur-Rahim even told the Coaching Origins podcast in 2022 that he told Edwards he would stay at Georgia — and not take the job at Kennesaw State — to ensure Edwards remained loyal to the Bulldogs.

The two remained so close after the recruiting process that Crean made it a point to call Edwards on Thursday so he could hear the news of Abdur-Rahim's death rather than the media reports.

“If you were to ask Anthony to name someone who he absolutely relies on, believes in and knows will tell him the truth no matter what, he would name Amir in the first sentence,” Crean said .

“He just had an incredible ability to connect with young people. … He made me believe in myself,” Murray State coach Steve Prohm added. “It's been really incredible watching him over the last few years and what makes you sick is that he has his wife and three young children and he has the world in his hands.”

Prohm coached Abdur-Rahim as an assistant at SE Louisiana and the two later served together as assistant coaches at Murray State under Kennedy. Prohm credits Abdur-Rahim with the connection between Prohm and his wife. Abdur-Rahim acted as best man at the wedding.

So on Thursday evening, Prohm processed his feelings by scrolling through social media, where some of Abdur-Rahim's press conferences and quotes were rediscovered after his death.

“Just to hear him talk,” Prohm explained.

The moment Prohm lingered was filmed in the locker room after Kennesaw State nearly upset Xavier in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. There Abdur-Rahim stood in front of a whiteboard and gave a short speech about the only two words written on it: “Love conquers.”

That's when Prohm knew what story he would tell his Murray State players at practice on Friday.

“I will talk to my team about 'Love Conquers,'” Prohm said. “I think that got him to the point. He was so deeply rooted and so loyal and just brought out the best in everyone he had around him.”

Follow USA TODAY Network sports reporter Mark Giannotto on social media @mgiannotto and email him at [email protected]

Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim remembered everything good about basketball

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