South Florida basketball coach Amir Abdur-Rahim has died at age 43

South Florida's Amir Abdur-Rahim, one of the brightest young coaches in college basketball, died Thursday at age 43, the school announced.

Abdur-Rahim was undergoing a medical procedure at a Tampa-area hospital when he died from complications that arose, the school said.

“All of us at South Florida Athletics mourn with the family of coach Abdur-Rahim,” USF athletic director Michael Kelly said in a statement. “He was authentic, motivated and his infectious personality captivated the entire Bulls Nation. Coach Abdur-Rahim leaves a lasting impression on our student-athletes, the university and the community. We support 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.”

Abdur-Rahim led the South Florida men's team to one of the greatest turnarounds in the country last season, leading the Bulls to a program-record 25 wins and their first American Athletic Conference regular-season title. Before Abdur-Rahim took over in 2023, the school had never reached .500 in the AAC standings and had been above .500 overall just once since 2012. He was named AAC Coach of the Year.

For the first time in school history, the Bulls also finished in the men's AP Top 25, securing a spot for two weeks in late February and early March.

“I asked [Kelly]”'Are you afraid of heights?'” Abdur-Rahim said at his introductory press conference in March 2023. “'Because one day you will have to climb the ladder to cut these nets.'”

Abdur-Rahim spent four seasons at Kennesaw State before transferring to South Florida and leading the Owls to a 2023 NCAA Tournament appearance. He was the architect of a dramatic program transformation, going from one win in his first season at the helm to 26 in his final campaign. He won the 2023 Hugh Durham Award, given annually to the best mid-major coach in the country, and was named ASUN Coach of the Year.

“There are people who care about this program. It was a place with no identity but on the verge of creating something very special,” Abdur-Rahim told ESPN after Kennesaw State won the Atlantic Sun tournament.

“It’s crazy, to be honest.”

Abdur-Rahim is the younger brother of former California star and NBA veteran Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who is now president of the NBA G League.

A longtime assistant coach, Abdur-Rahim was on the staff of Georgia, Texas A&M, Charleston, Georgia Tech and Murray State. During his time with Tom Crean at Georgia, the Atlanta native helped the Bulldogs sign top-five recruit Anthony Edwards, who became the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Before Abdur-Rahim left Georgia for Kennesaw State, he called Edwards to get his blessing.

“Signing a man like Anthony is a relationship that has been built and developed over four years. There were people around me that I had a real relationship with, who trusted myself and the coaching staff at Georgia, who trusted me to be there,” Abdur-Rahim said on the “Coaching Origins” podcast in 2022. ” Before I took the job I called a few people, I called Anthony and just said, 'Hey man, I have this opportunity, but if you need me, you're here.' “I'm staying.”

“Without these, as I call them, real relationships, I would not have been able to recruit the players that I recruited. Whether I had the child or not. That person over there would have been okay with it no matter what, and I would get along with them.

Abdur-Rahim played for Billy Kennedy — under whom he later coached at Murray State and Texas A&M — for three seasons at Southeastern Louisiana. He was a three-time All-Southland selection and ranked in the top 10 in program history for points, 3-pointers made and steals.

“Coach Abdur-Rahim has made an indelible impact on the University of South Florida in a very short period of time. “In his first season as our head coach, he brought unmatched enthusiasm, achieved unprecedented success and helped create unforgettable memories for Bulls Nation,” USF President Rhea Law said. “While working with Coach Abdur-Rahim, I was continually inspired by his leadership and truly admired his genuine way of connecting with our entire student body. His impact on our student-athletes, coaching staff and university community will live on forever.”

Abdur-Rahim is survived by his wife Arianne and their three children: daughters Laila and Lana and son Aydin.