By: Mark Wasik
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KENNESAW, Ga. – Fresh off the first ASUN championship in school history which earned the first-ever trip for Kennesaw State to the NCAA Men's Basketball Division I Tournament, KSU head coach
Amir Abdur-Rahim has been named a finalist for the 2022-23 Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year Award.
Abdur-Rahim was named the ASUN Coach of the Year, the first-ever at KSU to receive the honor, after taking an Owl team picked eighth in the preseason coach's poll to the top of the league with a 15-3 record in the ASUN, which earned KSU the No. 1 seed in ASUN Tournament. The Owls then capped off a thrilling tourney run with a 67-66 victory over preseason favorite Liberty in Sunday's ASUN title game, giving the Owls an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Owls completely shattered almost every season win and achievement mark in the Division I era (since 2005-06), as KSU currently stands with a 26-8 overall record. That is 12 over the previous school record for wins in a season and also marks the team's first-ever winning season. KSU's 15 league wins were five more than the previous record of 10-10, while the Owls are tied for fourth in the nation with 10 road wins (10-6), four more than the 2016-17 team's road mark of 6-13.
The Ben Jobe award is presented annually to the top Division I minority coach, and is named in honor of Coach Jobe, who led Southern University to four NCAA Tournament appearances. The recipient of the award will be announced this month in March in Houston, site of the Men's Final Four.
