By Ken Cross
TAMPA—The South Florida Bulls returned to the Yuengling Center on Tuesday evening for their first home game since Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim’s passing on Oct.24. Before they took an 85-69 win over UAPB, the arena stopped to remember the coach and also unveiled the AAC regular season championship banner.
“It’s our belief in one another,” said guard Kobe Knox. “We had 16 assists tonight and we did a good job of moving the ball.”
De’Ante Green checked in with a double-double of 10 points and 14 boards while Brandon Stroud netted 15 points and Kasen Jennings finished with 13.
“I feel like my name was called and tonight I had to step up and do what I do for the team to win,” said Green.
The Bulls’ starting five had to garner more minutes after two Bulls left the bench when Golden Lions guard Zac Reinhart appeared to shove Green after both players went out of bounds to try to possess a rebound.
USF lost CJ Brown and Jimmie Williams when the two left the bench during the altercation that followed Reinhart’s action.
“I had a bunch of guys playing in positions that they don’t normally play in, so I normally have 10-man rotation and now that’s different,” said USF head coach Ben Fletcher. “So now, I am playing with seven or eight. Right now, I have guys playing out of position and they don’t know plays at different positions.”
Reid and Knox combined for 16 points in a four minute sequence in the first half. Knox’ jumper gave USF it’s biggest lead at 45-25 at 3:13 left before intermission .
Reid was only 2-of-12 from the floor, but he scored the final eight points of the game after UAPB had cut the lead to 77-69 with 2:12 to play.
“Jayden Reid is going to be a big-time player for us,” commented Fletcher. “He did well tonight, but I don’t like the missed free throws. He ended up with 16 points, six rebounds, six assists. I think the minutes he played were too many, but obviously, with CJ Brown out, he had to cover for him. He played a lot more minutes than I wanted him to play.”
South Florida shot only 39.7 percent from the field as the deft three-point shooters only made 8-of-34 after they combined to shoot 35.1 percent in the two earlier losses to Florida and Charleston.
“We did a really good job of getting open shots, so I really wasn’t as worried about how many threes we took as long as we were taking the right ones,” explained Fletcher.
USF scored 21 points on 16 offensive rebounds and held an overall 47-40 rebound advantage.
Remembering Coach Amir: Fletcher came into the media room and relayed Abdur-Rahim’s famous quote from the beginning of each postgame news conference, “To God be the Glory.”
Coach Amir received a rendition of thought and tribute as the Bulls fostered a seat that will be kept empty all season in his honor.
As he was a popular force on campus and in the city, the “Amir Abdur-Rahim Student Section” came to fruition.
Guards Jayden Reid and Kobe Knox scored 16 points each as five Bulls amassed double figures in the 85-69 win over the Golden Lions.
“Nothing will change,” Fletcher said as his players wore Coach Amir’s initials on the team jerseys. “We will do things the same way.”
Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim led the Bulls to the first outright conference basketball title in school history as the 25 wins were the most in one season in the 53 years of South Florida basketball.
He was selected the 23-24 CAA Coach of the Year while guard Chris Youngblood was AAC Player of the Year.