Joey Johnston Athletics Senior Writer GOUSFBULLS.COM the home for USF Sports.
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TAMPA, Fla. (October 23, 2023) – Once you enter the University of South Florida men’s basketball practice court at the Pam and Les Muma Basketball Center, you can’t miss the catchy acronym — E.D.G.E. — that stands for “Everyone Dedicating Great Effort.”
But for Bulls coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, it’s more than a slogan.
It’s a way of life.
“We live in this unbelievably great city, this beautiful city with great weather,” Abdur-Rahim said. “You talk to different coaches on the road, when they came to Tampa, it was a vacation for them, a getaway. I don’t want it to be a vacation or a getaway anymore.
“I want us to have an edge in everything we do. I want us to have an edge in the classroom, in the study hall, and on the practice court. We’re going to play with an edge and practice with an edge. Those days of people coming to Tampa feeling like it’s a vacation just because of the nice weather, that’s over. We’re going to carry that edge every day and give our community and our campus a brand of basketball they can be proud of.”
Abdur-Rahim, in his first USF season after guiding the Kennesaw State Owls to the Atlantic Sun Conference championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance, has brought in 12 new players (including three from Kennesaw State) to join holdovers Sam Hines Jr., Selton Miguel, and Corey Walker Jr.
The Bulls were 14-18 last season in Coach Brian Gregory’s sixth season and Abdur-Rahim said there’s something to build upon. “That team could’ve easily won 20 games … it wasn’t that far away,” Abdur-Rahim said. “We have to close that gap and get there because we want this program to win lots of games and be a regular participant (in the postseason).”
Since capturing the College Basketball Invitational championship following the 2018-19 season, the Bulls are 45-71 and the program hasn’t played in the NCAA Tournament since 2012.
Abdur-Rahim aims to change that.
“We have a Power Five (conference) job with Power Five resources,” Abdur-Rahim said. “I’m not here to be good. I’m not here to be great. I’m here to be elite. And that’s how we’re going to approach every day in every aspect of our program.”
The Bulls will have a fast-paced offense and an aggressive defense. Versatility will be a USF trademark. Abdur-Rahim describes his lineup as “position-less,” meaning the pivot players won’t be traditional back-to-the-basket performers. They will also do some ball-handling.
Abdur-Rahim said the bulk of his team’s offseason work focused on individual skills — shooting, passing, and dribbling — and he has seen great progress.
“It’s not about perfection, it’s about progression,” Abdur-Rahim said. “It’s about getting better every day. And I think we have done that.”
Abdur-Rahim’s transition has been aided by the presence of the three former players from Kennesaw State — senior guards Chris Youngblood (6-foot-4), Brandon Stroud (6-6), and Kasen Jennings (6-3) — who are intimately familiar with how the Owls rose from a one-win team (2019-20) to a 26-win conference champion and NCAA team last season.
Youngblood was Kennesaw State’s leading scorer (14.7 points per game) and an A-Sun first-team all-conference player. Stroud was the team’s leading rebounder (6.5) and the A-Sun Defensive Player of the Year.
“They have been great just because they know me, they know exactly what I want and what it looks like,” Abdur-Rahim said. “But it has been a transition for them as well. At Kennesaw, they had older guys who had been there before. Now they’re being asked to lead.
“I say to them every day, ‘It’s time for you to help somebody else, (help them) get to know me and understand me even better. Because I’m not an easy person to deal with. My wife will tell you that. But we’re in this thing together and we’re going to grow together.”
Abdur-Rahim said the USF holdovers — Hines, Miguel, and Walker — also have a key role and he appreciates their acceptance as well.
“I think they’ve had the hardest challenge of anybody because when they came here, they didn’t come here with the expectation of playing for multiple cultures,” Abdur-Rahim said. “I’m really proud of all three of them. I’m really appreciative of their buy-in and their effort.”
Abdur-Rahim also expects big contributions from the USF newcomers, including former Tampa Catholic player Kobe Knox (6-5), a transfer from Grand Canyon; Kasean Pryor (6-10), a junior-college transfer who played at Boise State; Jose Placer (6-1), a 1,000-point scorer at North Florida; and true freshman Jayden Reid (5-10) from Westbury, N.Y.
“Every day, we’re going to care about our guys, love our guys, and make sure they know they’re more than just basketball players,” Abdur-Rahim said. “We care about them as men … and the men they’re destined to become. If we continue to do that, the results on the court will match that and we’ll win at a high level.
“We’re going to recruit at the highest level possible without losing who we are from a character standpoint and culture standpoint. We want to put out a great product on the court so we can pack out the Yuengling Center, as I expect to do.”
And everything the Bulls do will be with an edge.
Or E.D.G.E.
“Gritty … Not Pretty.” That’s another catchphrase you’ll see around USF basketball.
It’s a catchy rhyme, but it’s also a way of life, one that Abdur-Rahim hopes will permeate every day of practice, along with the Nov. 2 exhibition against Edward Waters College and the Nov. 9 season-opener against South Carolina State.
“Working hard and being elite every single day,” Abdur-Rahim said. “That’s what we’re going to be about at USF.”
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About USF Men’s Basketball
The South Florida men’s basketball team is led by Amir Abdur-Rahim, who was named the 11th head coach in program history on March 29, 2023. Abdur-Rahim was named the 2023 Mid-Major Coach of the Year (Hugh Durham Award) after leading Kennesaw State to its first-ever Division I NCAA Tournament berth in 2022-23. Abdur-Rahim’s Kennesaw State team set an NCAA record as the fastest team to ever reach the NCAA Tournament after a one-win campaign, accomplishing the feat in a span of just three seasons. He was also named the 2022-23 NABC District 3 and ASUN Coach of the Year after leading Kennesaw State to both the regular season and tournament titles, and a school-record 26 wins.
USF has retired three numbers in its history: Chucky Atkins (12), Charlie Bradley (30), and Radenko Dobras (31). The Bulls have earned three NCAA tournament bids, appeared in the NIT eight times, and won the 2019 College Basketball Invitational.
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