Florida Senate - 2025                            (NP)    SR 1878
       
       
        
       By Senator Rouson
       
       
       
       
       
       16-03258A-25                                          20251878__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution honoring the life and legacy of
    3         University of South Florida Head Basketball Coach Amir
    4         Abdur-Rahim, his many accomplishments, and his
    5         contributions to the Tampa Bay community and this
    6         state.
    7  
    8         WHEREAS, Amir Abdur-Rahim was one of 13 children born to
    9  Deborah Hester and William Abdur-Rahim and one of six brothers
   10  from the family to play college basketball, and
   11         WHEREAS, after successfully coaching at Kennesaw State
   12  University from 2019 to 2023, leading the Owls men’s basketball
   13  team to the 2023 conference regular season and tournament titles
   14  and their first-ever berth in the NCAA Division I men’s
   15  basketball tournament, on March 29, 2023, Amir Abdur-Rahim
   16  became the 11th head coach of the University of South Florida
   17  (USF) Bulls men’s basketball team, and
   18         WHEREAS, Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim led the Bulls men’s
   19  basketball team to a 25-8 record, including 16 wins in
   20  conference play, the most wins in program history, and USF
   21  posted 15 straight conference victories to register the
   22  program’s longest-ever win streak and the longest win streak in
   23  the nation, and
   24         WHEREAS, under Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim’s leadership, the USF
   25  men’s basketball team win total marked a nine-win improvement
   26  over the previous season, among the top 20 most improved in the
   27  nation in 2023-2024, and just the sixth 20-win season in program
   28  history, and
   29         WHEREAS, in 2024, the USF men’s basketball team was the
   30  number one seed in the American Athletic Conference tournament,
   31  and the Bulls claimed the program’s first-ever regular season
   32  conference title with a two-game lead over the next-best team,
   33  and
   34         WHEREAS, during that season, under Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim’s
   35  leadership, USF earned its first-ever Top 25 ranking in men’s
   36  basketball, climbing as high as number 24 in the Associated
   37  Press and USA Today Coaches Polls, and
   38         WHEREAS, in his first season at USF, Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim
   39  was the unanimous choice to be named the 2024 American Athletic
   40  Conference Coach of the Year and the National Association of
   41  Basketball Coaches (NABC) District 24 Coach of the Year, and
   42         WHEREAS, Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim came to USF with a proven
   43  track record of winning as a player and coach, and one of his
   44  greatest successes was derived from his exceptional ability to
   45  develop the young men on his team, and
   46         WHEREAS, a beloved husband and father who passed away
   47  October 24, 2024, Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim shared his life with
   48  his wife of 12 years, Arianne Abdur-Rahim, and their three
   49  children, Laila, Lana, and Aydin, NOW, THEREFORE,
   50  
   51  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   52  
   53         That the Senate honors the life and legacy of University of
   54  South Florida Head Basketball Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim and extends
   55  its gratitude for his many accomplishments and contributions to
   56  the Tampa Bay community and this state.
   57         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be
   58  presented to the family of Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim as a tangible
   59  token of the sentiments expressed herein.