Kennesaw State head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim puts himself on the map after team nearly pulls off upset
In Amir Abdur-Rahim's first year as Kennesaw State head coach during the 2019-20 season, the Owls won one game. On Friday, they nearly pulled off a major upset against No. 3-seeded Xavier in the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance.
Fourteen-seeded Kennesaw State held a 61-48 second-half lead before the Musketeers defense clamped down as Xavier went on a 24-6 run over the final 9:05 and hung on for a 72-67 win.
After the game, Abdur-Rahim walked over to the sideline where fans were seated and motioned for them to keep their heads up. Kennesaw State certainly has nothing to be ashamed of after a performance in which it proved it could hang with a much more accomplished opponent.
The spotlight the tournament shined on the Atlantic Sun Tournament champions should propel Abdur-Rahim into the conversation for any head-coach opening this hiring cycle.
This season was the Owls' first winning season in the program's 18-year history as a Division I school. Abdur-Rahim built the team from the ground up, going 1-28 in his first year (2019-20) and winning 19 games over his first three seasons. Kennesaw State went 26-9 in 2022-23.
At halftime of the team's first-round game against Xavier, Abdur-Rahim told CBS Sports' Evan Washburn, "I've been telling people to come up [Interstate]-75 to Kennesaw, Georgia, nothing but heart and toughness up that way."
After his team nearly pulled off an unbelievable upset to cap an already fantastic turnaround, he might need to reroute anyone heading his way.
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