NCAA Basketball: 3 under-the-radar coaches who have exceeded expectations entering March
1. Amir Abdur-Rahim, South Florida Bulls
The most impressive job done this year has to go to first-year head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim of the South Florida Bulls. In Rahim's first season as the team's head coach, he has managed to lead the Bulls to a 23-5 overall record (16-1 in the AAC) and led South Florida to being the regular-season conference champions.
Last season, South Florida finished 14–18. Rahim came over from Kennesaw State and utilized the portal, bringing over one of his key players at his prior university, Chris Youngblood. Youngblood is the leading catalyst for the Bulls, averaging 15.5 PPG, 2.6 REB, and 2.2 AST. He's shooting 45.5% from the field.
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If Rahim can keep his team on the trajectory they are currently on over the next two weeks, South Florida will be marching into the NCAA tournament for the fourth time in school history and the first time since 2012. The job he has done with this program has been exponential, and the AAC coach of the year isn't even a question. Amir Abdur-Rahim is the answer ten times out of ten.