Interim Fletcher swears to help USF through sorrow
Oct 29, 2024, 03:37 PM ET TAMPA, Fla.– South Florida presented Ben Fletcher as interim basketball coach on Tuesday, stating he’s the best male to lead the Bulls following the death of Amir Abdur-Rahim.
Fletcher, a friend of Abdur-Rahim who assisted the late coach reverse having a hard time programs at Kennesaw State and USF, promised to help grieving players deal with the loss and promote a new standard for success at the American Athletic Conference school.
“He will spearhead us through the season, I know. We will not attempt to forget or put emotions to the side. This is real life, you understand?” Fletcher stated.
“Those guys will need to grieve at their own rate. However what we wish to do is continue to pour into those young men and make sure they have all the assistance they need. But as far as basketball, we will keep his name alive.”
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Abdur-Rahim, 43, passed away Thursday from issues that developed while he was going through a treatment at a Tampa-area hospital.The Bulls, who
won a school-record 25 games and captured USF’s very first conference championship in Abdur-Rahim’s only season directing the program, play an exhibition game against Edward Waters on Wednesday night. The regular season opens next Monday against No. 21 Florida in Jacksonville.
“We have actually done everything in our power to make sure and make sure that they have had the appropriate therapy that they need,” Fletcher said.
“They wanted to play. They wished to practice [last] Saturday. I was steadfast, ‘You guys tell me when you’re prepared.’ The last thing I want to carry out in this circumstance is force those guys to do something when they’re grieving also. … We’re going to support the standard that he left behind.”
Fletcher started his coaching profession at his university Troy, which he assisted reach the NCAA competition as a player in 2003 and again as assistant coach in 2017.
He served on Abdur-Rahim’s personnel for four years at Kennesaw State, which went from winning one game in their very first season there to going 26-9 and making the NCAA tournament in 2022-23.
He followed Abdur-Rahim to USF as an assistant in 2023. The Bulls went 25-8 last winter, won the AAC regular-season title and celebrated the program’s first-ever ranking in the AP Top 25 along the way. Abdur-Rahim was a consentaneous selection as conference coach of the year.
“Ben was with us in 2015. He was with Coach Amir for the four seasons at Kennesaw State and the amazing transformation they had there. And, he had an extremely successful career at Troy, both as a player and as a coach,” USF vice president for sports Michael Kelly stated.
“There’s no concern in my mind that Ben is the best guy to lead our program forward. … Guys aspire to do what they love and what coach wished to do, both as basketball players and as men. And so they aspire to proceed with that transition.”