USF basketball coach Amir Abdur-Rahim dies at age 43

"In a very short time, Coach Abdur-Rahim made an indelible impact on the University of South Florida. In his first season as our head coach, he brought an unmatched enthusiasm, achieved unprecedented success and helped generate unforgettable memories for Bulls Nation," USF president Rhea Law said in a statement. "Throughout my time working with Coach Abdur-Rahim, I was continually inspired by his leadership, and truly admired his sincere approach to connecting with our entire student body. His influence on our student-athletes, coaching staff and the university community will live on forever."

Abdur-Rahim, who was a younger brother of former NBA player Shareef Abdur-Rahim, played college basketball at Southeastern Louisiana and was a three-time all-conference player. He went into coaching shortly after his college career ended and had stints as an assistant at Murray State, Charleston, Texas A&M and Georgia. Abdur-Rahim became the head coach at Kennesaw State in 2019 and turned the program around. The Owls went 1-26 in his first year but were 26–9 in his final year (2022-2023) and made the NCAA Tournament.

In Abdur-Rahim’s first season as Bulls head coach, the team went 25–8 last season, including a 16-2 mark in conference. 

The 43-year-old leaves behind a wife and three children.