With the 2024-25 season less than two weeks away, the college basketball world was hit on Thursday evening after news broke that USF head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim had passed away following complications during a medical procedure.
Abdur-Rahim, 43, led USF to one of the biggest turnarounds in the country last season after guiding the Bulls to a program-record 25 wins en route to the program’s first AAC regular-season title. A big part of that success was due to Selton Miguel, who entered the transfer portal after two seasons at USF before landing at Maryland this summer.
Miguel reflected on the loss of his former head coach.
“Man, I’m still reeling from the loss. I’ve cried so much my head been hurting all day. I can’t believe you’re gone, especially on this date. Your impact on my life has been immense, and I’ll love you forever. You allowed me to be myself, no matter the situation. You changed my life in ways I never thought possible. That’s not what I wanted to post on my birthday, but God had other plans, and I can’t question His will. You believed in me since day 1 and that will stay with me forever. You’ll always be in my heart. I love you, man,” Miguel wrote on Instagram.
Miguel previously called Abdur-Rahim “my mentor, not just my coach” after two seasons together. “Since he got here, he has been there for me.”
“I’ve said this from Day 1, and I’ll say it with him sitting him right here. He knows how much I love him, but man, (Miguel) is the MVP of our team,” Abdur-Rahim said last season. “There’s not even a question about it, because he trusted me when he didn’t really have to. He could’ve bumped up…but he said, ‘You asked me to it, I’ll do whatever you need me to do, Coach. I got you.’”
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