South Florida’s Amir Abdur-Rahim, one of the brightest young coaches in college basketball, died Thursday at the age of 43, the school announced.

Abdur-Rahim was undergoing a medical procedure at a Tampa-area hospital when he died due to complications that developed, the school said.

“All of us at South Florida Athletics mourn with Coach Abdur-Rahim’s loved ones,” USF athletic director Michael Kelly said in a statement. “He was authentic, driven and his infectious personality captivated all of Bulls Nation. Coach Abdur-Rahim leaves a lasting impact on our student-athletes, the university and the community. We support those closest to him, including his family, team and athletics staff, to ensure they have the resources they need to cope with this tremendous loss.”

Abdur-Rahim led the South Florida men’s team to one of the biggest turnarounds in the country last season, guiding the Bulls to a program-record 25 wins and their first American Athletic Conference regular-season title. Before Abdur-Rahim took over in 2023, the school had never posted a .500 mark in the AAC and had finished above .500 only once since 2012. He was selected as AAC Coach of the Year.

The Bulls were also ranked in the AP Men’s Top 25 for the first time in school history, earning a spot for two weeks in late February and early March.

“I asked (Kelly), ‘Are you afraid of heights?’” Abdur-Rahim said at his introductory press conference in March 2023. “Because one day you’re going to have to climb that ladder to cut down those nets. .'”

Abdur-Rahim spent four seasons at Kennesaw State before transferring to South Florida, where he led the Owls to a 2023 NCAA tournament appearance. He was the architect of a dramatic rebuild of the program, going from one win in his first season at the helm to 26 in his career. his last campaign. He won the 2023 Hugh Durham Award, given annually to the nation’s best mid-major coach, and was named ASUN Coach of the Year.

“There have been people here who care about this program. It was a place with no identity, but it was on the cusp of something really special,” Abdur-Rahim told ESPN after Kennesaw State won the Atlantic Sun tournament.

“It’s crazy, to be honest.”

Abdur-Rahim is the younger brother of former California star and NBA veteran Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who is now president of the NBA G League.

Abdur-Rahim, a longtime assistant coach, spent time on the staffs of Georgia, Texas A&M, Charleston, Georgia Tech and Murray State. While on Tom Crean’s staff at Georgia, the Atlanta native helped the Bulldogs land top-five recruit Anthony Edwards, who went on to become the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA draft.

Before Abdur-Rahim left Georgia for Kennesaw State, he called Edwards to get his blessing.

“Signing a guy like Anthony, that’s a relationship that’s been built and in the making for four years. There were people around me who I had a real relationship with, who trusted myself and the Georgia coaching staff, who trusted me to be there.” Abdur-Rahim said on the “Coaching Origins” podcast in 2022. “Before I accepted the job, I called a few people, I called Anthony and I just said, ‘Hey man, I got this opportunity, but if you give me need here, I’ll be fine with it.’

“I wouldn’t have been able to recruit the players that I recruited if there hadn’t been, I call them, real relationships. Whether I had the child or not. That person there would be fine with it no matter what happened, and I would be fine with them.”

Abdur-Rahim played three seasons for Billy Kennedy — whom he would later coach at Murray State and Texas A&M — at Southeastern Louisiana. He was a three-time All-Southland selection and finished in the top 10 in program history for points, three-pointers made and steals.

“In a very short time, Coach Abdur-Rahim has made an indelible impact on the University of South Florida. In his first season as our head coach, he brought unparalleled enthusiasm, achieved unprecedented success and helped generate of unforgettable memories for Bulls Nation.” USF President Rhea Law said this. “During my time working with Coach Abdur-Rahim, I was continually inspired by his leadership and truly admired his genuine approach to connecting with our entire student body. His influence on our student-athletes, coaching staff and the university community will live on forever.”

Abdur-Rahim is survived by his wife Arianne and their three children: daughters Laila and Lana and son Aydin.