There is no way to immediately process this. USF confirmed late Thursday that men’s basketball coach Amir Abdur-Rahim died suddenly while undergoing a medical procedure at a local hospital. I typed those words, but still don’t want to believe them.
There is no way to take the news other than overwhelming grief for the man, his family, and the players who believed in him. Basketball seems so insignificant, and I don’t need to explain why.
In his one season with USF, he brought so much hope to a program that had wandered lost through so many lost seasons. Just yesterday, I wrote for this site that USF was now a basketball school in large part because of what Rabur-Rahim created at a place that was a hoops wasteland.
More than that, though, the man was about relationships. Of course, he wanted to win games on the court, but his players understood that he was more than about w’s and l’s. They bought into him because he bought into them first.
“All of us with South Florida Athletics are grieving with the loved ones of Coach Abdur-Rahim,. He was authentic, driven, and his infectious personality captivated all of Bulls Nation. Coach Abdur-Rahim leaves a lasting impact on our student-athletes, the university, and the community. We are supporting those closest to him, including his family, team, and athletics staff, to ensure they have the resources they need to deal with this tremendous loss in a very short time,” athletics director Michael Kelly said.
USF President Rhea Law added her thougths.
“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,” she said.
“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.”
Just yesterday, I wrote for this site that USF was now a basketball school in part because of what he brought to the program. It all seems so trivial now.
We don’t know yet what led to his cause of death, but whatever it we’ll find out about that won’t lessen the impact.
I grieve tonight for the players who came to USF because of their coach.
I wish the best for whoever is asked to shoulder the tremendous burden of replacing one of the brightest minds in the sport.
The start of the season in little more than a week now seems trivial and disjointed, but it has to happen. I’m sure that’s what Abdur-Rahim would tell his players.
There’s no getting around this, though.
Amir Abdur-Rahim was a force of nature in his far too short time at USF. The only comparison I can make is when the school hired Bill Gibson from Virginia in 1974 to help build the program. He had one good season, then died from a heart attack before he could build on that.
Now, though, all we can do is pause, grieve, and pray for his family. He was always first to give God the glory. God help them now.
