MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The headgear of USF football coach Alex Golesh proudly displays the initials of Amir Abdur-Rahim, the former basketball coach at South Florida. In 2023, Abdur-Rahim’s profound words became a guiding principle for the Bulls.
“This ain’t the same ol’ South Florida, my brother.”
Abdur-Rahim, who passed away at 43 during a medical procedure, shared this sentiment following the first victory of the 2023-24 season — his singular season at USF, where he led the Bulls to secure 25 wins.
They went viral. They’re still resonating.
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South Florida head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim holds up the American Athletic Conference regular season championship trophy after an NCAA college basketball game against Tulane Tuesday, March 5, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara) -
USF Football Head Coach Alex Golesh/ Image- USF Athletics -
South Florida guard Selton Miguel (1) and head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim have a discussion during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Charlotte on Saturday, March 2, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley) -
Coach Alex Golish leads Bulls onto field in 2023. Image/USF Athletics
Golesh, a close friend of Abdur-Rahim, has echoed these words in various moments: inside the locker room after defeating Boise State, during an interview post-victory over Florida, and even encouraged them through assistant coach DeMarcus Van Dyke in the team’s jubilant chamber. The currently 18th-ranked Bulls hope to rejoice similarly after their game against No. 5 Miami on Saturday.
Shareef Abdur-Rahim, former NBA player and G League president, expressed, “More than anything, we’re filled with gratitude and truly thankful. It’s quite special that his influence continues to resonate in this way.”
Oh, they’re not forgetting his brother at USF anytime soon.
Amir Abdur-Rahim’s presence is memorialized with prominent photographs on the football facility’s wall, capturing him addressing the team last year. Golesh remembers it as a profound hour where any recording for promotional content, which is typical today, was firmly declined by Abdur-Rahim.
“He declared, ‘Zero content. This is between me and my guys,’” Golesh shared. “It was an incredibly genuine experience, absolutely remarkable.”
That’s just one example of how Abdur-Rahim continues to resonate within the USF athletic community. The Bulls do an awards show every spring to pay tribute to the best of the best at the school over the academic year. Abdur-Rahim and his staff won the coach of the year award in 2024. He accepted the trophy and immediately surrendered it to Erika Brennan, USF’s women’s golf coach at the time.
“He said, ‘No, they actually had a better year. We got more notoriety, but they had a better year than us,’” Shareef Abdur-Rahim said.
Fast forward a year. USF women’s basketball coach Jose Fernandez won the award last spring. Mindful of what Amir Abdur-Rahim did the previous year, he decided to give it to USF’s volleyball coaching staff.
There are more examples as well. At USF’s basketball arena, students now watch from the Amir Abdur-Rahim Student Section. The American Athletic Conference established the Amir Abdur-Rahim Sportsmanship Award in his honor. His two former schools — USF and Kennesaw State — will meet this November in the Love Wins Classic, the start of a home-and-home series between the programs.
Golesh didn’t plan to say those words after the Week 1 win. It just sort of happened.
“I just got this feeling of seeing him walking down the corridor, walking down our sidelines, smiling, saying ‘I’ve been telling y’all, this ain’t the same ol’ South Florida, my brother,’” Golesh said. “It just kind of came over me. I don’t even know why. And I’m not overly calculated in anything I say. I keep my emotions in check. But at that moment in the postgame, I was emotional for whatever reason. I felt him, in there with us in a lot of ways, if that makes sense.”
