By: Mark Wasik
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Kennesaw State Department of Athletics will induct three new members into its Hall of Fame this month at a ceremony on Friday, Nov. 21 at NorthStar Church in Kennesaw. The inductees will also be recognized during the Saturday, Nov. 22 KSU football contest against Missouri State at Walens Family Field at Fifth Third Stadium.
The event will start at 6 p.m. with a mingle hour before moving onto the dinner at 7 p.m. and the ceremony at 7:45 p.m. Tickets are available to the Hall of Fame dinner, both for an individual ($75) and for a table ($500).
KSUOwls.com will profile each inductee leading up to the ceremony, and today we are taking a different approach, as we reached out to several former players, former assistant coaches and co-workers, family members, as well as members of the KSU Athletic Department staff, for their memories of Head Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim.
Oct. 2 Feature - Scott Whitlock
Oct. 14 Feature – Brenda Farrell
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Amir Abdur-Rahim is being inducted posthumously after engineering one of the most incredible turnarounds in men's college basketball history. Hired in April of 2019 to a program that had never produced a winning season at the Division I level, Abdur-Rahim took the Owls from one win in 2019-20 to a school-record 26 victories and a sweep of the Atlantic Sun regular season and conference tournament championships in 2022-23. KSU became the first-ever team to go from a 1-win season to the NCAA Tournament in just three years, and the Owls nearly made history in their first-round game against third-seed Xavier, leading most of the game before coming up short in the final 20 seconds, falling 82-77.
Abdur-Rahim made his mark as one of the top rising names in college basketball with the Owls' run to March Madness, and he was named the Hugh Durham Mid-Major Coach of the Year in 2022-23 along with Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year. He would move on after that season to USF, where he guided the Bulls to their first-ever regular season championship in the American Conference in 2023-24, and was set to start his second season in Tampa. He passed away in October of 2024 after complications during a medical procedure. He left behind his loving wife, Arianne, and three children, Laila, Lana ,and Aydin.
We now hear from some of those closest to him during his time at Kennesaw State
Terrell Burden – Played at Kennesaw State from 2019-2024 and was Abdur-Rahim's first-ever recruit at KSU.
What word first comes to your mind when you think of Coach Amir?
Vessel! - Because he allowed God to use him to bring the light out of everyone he interacted with. He found a way to help everyone no matter what he had going on himself.
What's the best story or memory you have of Coach Amir?
The best story I have of Coach Amir is 'the collegiate career of Terrell Burden.' He saw a vision in me that I didn't ever really see in myself - molding me into a better man and leader each year. Whenever you think of me or any success I have, I give it to God for using Coach Amir as a source to bring the best out of me. I am a quiet reflection of Coach Amir. I wish I could give you one specific story to exalt Coach Amir, but all I have is the testimony of myself to show for him.
Ben Fletcher —Was an assistant coach for Abdur-Rahim at Kennesaw State from 2019-23, and followed him to USF to serve as his assistant coach in 2023-24 before serving as the interim head coach last season.
What word first comes to your mind when you think of Coach Amir?
Intentional - For a lot of different reasons. He was very intentional about building relationships, whether that be with the administration, his players, the parents of the players, AAU coaches, or other head and assistant coaches. He was just very intentional about developing relationships with anybody.
What's the best story or memory you have of Coach Amir?
My most memorable moment probably was our first recruiting trip together. We signed Chris Youngblood, Brandon Stroud, Kasen Jennings, Mayson Quartlebaum, and Cole LaRue. So we had a trip planned to go see Cole in Alabama, and then we were going to spend the night in Newnan, Georgia, then go see Chris and Brandon play at 6:30 a.m. I just think the thing that stood out was the number of former players that called him on their own on that trip while we were driving. It was guys that we weren't even coaching at the time, guys from Murray State and other places he had been at were calling him and it was like this during the entire 5 and 1/2-hour drive to Mobile.
Then we turn around, leave Mobile, and we were driving back to Newnan. The amount of calls that he received left me stunned. Then on top of that, he still found time to call his kids to say good night to them and ask them how their day went. He still found time to talk to his wife, and I was just amazed how many phone calls that he had, and it was just wild. I went home that night thinking to myself, 'Am I doing enough?'
Because man, he just he touched everybody that he met like a magnet. He was like that at Kennesaw State, and he went straight to South Florida and was the same way there.
Shareef Abdur-Rahim – Amir's older brother and President of the G-League
What word first comes to your mind when you think of Coach Amir?
Bold - If he believed in something, even as a little kid, he was determined to go for it. I'll tell this story from when he wanted to play football as a kid. Our dad was a college football player, and I had begged him to let me play football. He wouldn't let me play football, he wouldn't let any of his boys play football. But Amir made it up in his mind that he was going to play football. And at 11 years old, for half a season he played, and hid his pad somewhere in the house so that no one would know. The only way my mom found out is he got injured playing and they had to take him to the hospital. Then the hospital had to call my mom and tell her that Amir broke his ankle. Good, bad, and indifferent, there's probably a bunch of examples of him growing up where, like that story, it was probably not working out for him, but it served him in his life. It served him that if he believed in something, and he went out after it really strongly, how it would manifested itself. It manifested itself into passion and love and care and relationships and achieving some significant things.
(When asked what happened when their father found out?) – Amir had a broken ankle, so our dad was like what more punishment can he get? It's still amazing that no one knew before he was playing, we didn't just come and go as we pleased, and still nobody knew, none of us had any idea. And yes, that was the end of his football career.
What's the best story or memory you have of Coach Amir?
The story that stays with me as an older brother is the run they had at Kennesaw State. Essentially they were the best college program in Georgia that final year, the only team to make it to the tournament and so on. I was coming in after the season or right before the NCAA tournament, I came to Atlanta and went to go pick up a rental car. The woman looked at my ID and she says 'Abdur-Rahim.' I said yes. She said, 'Like the coach?' And I said, yes, that's my little brother' And she said, 'No, you are his brother.'
We're from there, and he had been in my shadow his whole life and, in the moment, as the older brother, that just made me feel so good. To see him grow and establish himself as his own brand, in the place that we grew up in. There are all kinds of other things that make me smile when I think of him but that story just makes me feel like he had more then came into his own.
Keith Schunzel – Kennesaw State's longtime Head Volleyball Coach
What word first comes to your mind when you think of Coach Amir?
Love, Genuine, Real, Amazing, Pro
What's the best story or memory you have of Coach Amir?
I worked 10 feet from my friend Amir for four years as our offices were right next to each other in the coach's suite in the Convo. Most days I would walk over to his office at some point during the day, or he would walk into mine, and we would chat. Sometimes it was lighthearted, sometimes more serious, and almost always part of it involved conversation around how our families were doing. Usually, we'd start chatting about our teams and things we were trying to accomplish, challenges we were trying to overcome, and just talk about leading our young people, coaching philosophies and building our teams. He knew our players and I knew his, he knew my family and I knew his. And through these talks we each got a real sense of how the other person was doing and who each of us were as men, fathers, husbands, coaches, and leaders on a deeper level. Sometimes those conversations were short, and sometimes we would sit and talk for a fairly long time. As simple as those conversations were, for four years those talks with my friend were one of the highlights of every day. I always came out speaking with Amir happy, or inspired, or appreciative, or emotional in some way. He did that to people. He had a true gift of connection. A true gift of listening. A genuine ability to see and hear you. I've never met anyone like him. And in four years, as busy as we both were, not once was he ever too busy to talk to me, or too distracted. Never. He would shut his laptop, or put down his phone, and we would sit and talk.
Another absolutely incredible thing about that man is how many people can tell stories exactly like this. People that he would text or call every day. People that knew to their core that he cared about them and loved them, and every single day he told them that and lived that. Never too busy to send a text, make a call, or sit and talk. To this day I don't understand how he had time for everyone. And nobody I've ever met or heard stories from about Amir have felt like he didn't have time for them. 100's and 100's of people in his life, and he somehow made the time. I don't understand how he did it. That man listened and loved so hard. To everyone. I've never seen it before in my life and I'm not sure I ever will again.
Octavia Blue – Kennesaw State's Women's Basketball Head Coach
What word first comes to your mind when you think of Coach Amir?
Genuine. Coach Amir was truly an AMAZING human being. He genuinely cared for others and wanted the best for anyone he encountered.
What's the best story or memory you have of Coach Amir?
My favorite memory of Coach Amir was during the 2021-22 season, my first season as head coach here at Kennesaw State. He understood the ups, downs, and the challenges I was facing trying to set the foundation to build an elite program in year one. Our women's basketball team was battling through a rough patch, a three-game losing streak and finally snapped it with a win on the road. During that time, we were competing in the Atlantic Sun Conference, where men's and women's schedules mirrored each another. The men's team lost their game that night, however Coach Amir surprisingly FaceTimed me after our game to congratulate me on our win. I couldn't believe how thoughtful he was in that moment to think of me and our team to call and tell me how proud of me he was.
Even though Coach Amir had gone on to become the head coach at South Florida, he still frequently reached out to me via phone call or text. Coach Amir was such a tremendous guy and was truly God-sent. He had a way of making everyone feel special.
John Bednarowski – Marietta Daily Journal Sports Editor who covered Kennesaw State during the Abdur-Rahim years.
What word first comes to your mind when you think of Coach Amir?
Authentic.
What's the best story or memory you have of Coach Amir?
My best story about Amir came out of the championship game against Liberty.
In the final moments of the game, Terrell Burden gets fouled and goes to the free throw line with a chance to win the game. When I asked him what he told Terrell before he shot the eventual game winning free throw, he said 'I told him, 'I love you.'
To me, it was the moment that encapsulated everything Amir was and who he tried to be. He was real, he could be raw, and as much as I know, he was always a straight shooter with all his players. It was a moment when all the hard work he and Terrell had put in showed the country exactly what KSU basketball was all about.
Lonna Bowman – Men's Basketball Team Academic Advisor during Abdur-Rahim's four years at KSU
What word first comes to your mind when you think of Coach Amir?
So my word to describe Amir is: intentional.
He was intentional about his coaching- as we all remember that first season was, well, one to remember for all the wrong reasons. He didn't have a lot of time to recruit a lot of new players for the upcoming season, he was trying to turn around a struggling program while trying to get players who were not his recruits to buy into a system that required his signature hard work and intensity. All that to say…it was a long season! We talked a lot about lessons learned that season for him and for how he wanted to move forward and get better.
He knew it was going to take intentional recruiting- bringing the kind of player who thrived with discipline and hard work on and off the court in order to turn things around. He and his staff worked tirelessly to identify not just basketball talent, but young men who were willing to put the hard work in to get better every day.
He knew for his players to get better, he and his staff had to get better as coaches – so he was intentional about educating himself and learning about motivation and team work and how to strive for excellence. So many times, we communicated about ways to push them in discipline and focus academically so they could understand how those things translated into becoming a better version of themselves.
He was intentional about demanding the best from his players, staff, and support staff day in and day out. The details mattered and he was not one to let the little things slide. He'd ask his players to run a drill until they did it right and then ask them to do it right again and again. He asked his players to expect the best of themselves on and off the court – he knew their off-court habits and behaviors impacted who they were on the court, but more importantly, when their days on the court were done WHO they were as people mattered more than anything they did as basketball players.
He loved intentionally. We had so many conversations about Ari and the kids. He loved them fiercely and with purpose. He wanted them to know how much he loved and cared about them. He told them all the time, but he also told anyone who would listen how much he loved them. He wanted to be not just a good Dad – he wanted to be a great Dad; Both for his family and as an example to his players of how important being a father and man of integrity meant to those around them.
He cared intentionally. His faith and his love were never things he hid from anyone. He was always quick to say and mean "all glory to God" because he valued his faith and wanted to be sure those around him knew he gave glory to God for each day. He was always quick to say "I love you" to those he cared about. You never had to guess you had value to him. He wanted those around him to know he cared. So many conversations we had would start with how are you doing but a "I'm fine or I'm good" were never enough – surface was never good enough. He wanted to really know because he genuinely cared.
His ultimate goals with his players, and really anyone who was around him, was to build them into the best versions of who they could be as people. He intentionally used basketball as a vehicle for that end, but he used that same single-minded purpose that everyone was capable of being great, or in his words ELITE, to impact other coaches, other teams, students on the campuses where he worked and even his friends and family.
To know Amir was to know that being intentional in how you lived your days was more important than how many days you actually had. He made the most of the days God gave him and left an impact on the hearts of those who came into contact with his intentionality.
