Up-and-coming DI head coach interviews for vacant Cal position
Kennesaw State head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim reportedly interviewed for the vacant Cal head coaching job Tuesday over Zoom. Abdur-Rahim, who was the ASUN Coach of the Year last season, led the Owls to the NCAA Tournament this season for the first time in school history, narrowly losing to Xavier in the first round after giving the Musketeers all they had.
It’s worth noting that the Pac-12 does not currently have any active Black head coaches, a trend that could be changed were Cal to consider Abdur-Rahim.
Kennesaw State basketball coach Amir Abdur-Rahim interviewed for the Cal opening today over Zoom, source told @andscape. The 2023 ASUN Coach of the Year led the Owls to its first winning season in Division I history (23–8), first ASUN title and first NCAA Division I tournament.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) March 21, 2023
Kennesaw State didn’t just sneak into the tournament, either. They dominated the ASUN conference after being genuinely one of the worst teams in America when Abdur-Rahim took over. In 2020, Kennesaw State won just 1 game. The year following, they won 5. In 2023, Abdur-Rahim led the Owls to a 26-9 record, surpassing his previous combined win total across 3 years in Kennesaw by 7.
In other words, he knows his way around the game of basketball.