ESPN Release
KENNESAW, Ga. – Second year Kennesaw State men's basketball head coach
Amir Abdur-Rahim was one of a select group to be named among ESPN's top 40 Under 40 college basketball coaches.
"There are great coaches on the list and even more that didn't make the list so it's very humbling to be mentioned amongst so many great coaches under 40," said Abdur-Rahim. "It's also motivating and a great reminder that there is more work to be done when it comes to impacting the lives of young men."
Abdur-Rahim, who ranked 19th on the list, took over the reins at KSU in April of 2019 for his first season as a head coach following stints as an assistant coach at Murray State, Texas A&M and Georgia. No stranger to championship teams and players, he has been a part of four NCAA tournament teams, including two sweet 16 appearances, while mentoring two eventual NBA draft selections.
Despite finishing his first season with a 1-28 record, Abdur-Rahim has laid the groundwork for a successful future signing Georgia standouts
Terrell Burden and
Armani Harris within a month of joining KSU.
Despite both players suffering season-ending injuries, the duo shined for the Owls in the early portion of the season with Burden averaging 9.5 points per game, netting double-figures in seven of his 14 appearances including a career-high 21 points against Wofford. Harris appeared in only eight games before being injured but dominated the boards, leading the team averaging 7.5 rebounds per game. Harris recorded seven or more rebounds in five games, including a monstrous 15 rebounds against FIU to go along with 10 points for his first career double-double.
A tremendous recruiter, Abdur-Rahim has hit the ground hard this past offseason inking some of Georgia's top high school players to earn a top-50 recruiting class according to 247Sports.
With the incoming addition of three Georgia standouts and two big men from Alabama and Kansas as well as the announcement of two recent transfers, ESPN is right, Abdur-Rahim, and the KSU men's basketball team, will be one to watch.
