Amir Abdur-Rahim cried a little bit Sunday when talking about the role his deceased father has played in Kennesaw State’s rise from basketball obscurity to clinching its first spot in the NCAA Tournament.
The Owls defeated Liberty 67-66 in the ASUN Tournament at the Convocation Center to take their guaranteed slot in the field of 68.
A few hours before the game, as he’s done before every game since his father died two years ago, Abdur-Rahim listened to a voicemail his father left him after he lost his first game as Kennesaw State’s coach at Drake, 86-55, during the 2019-20 season. It was the first of 28 losses that season.
Abdur-Rahim’s father, William, tended to talk to answering machines as if he were having a conversation with a person.
So, his message kind of went on and on.
But the gist was this, according to Abdur-Rahim, and why it had extra importance after Sunday’s historic victory:
“He goes, ‘Yeah, man, that’s just one,’ ” he said. “That’s just one. But I can see you in some years. You know what to do. You’ve been there before.
“And if it didn’t hit as hard as it needed to hit today, I don’t know if it could hit any harder, guys.
“And so I share that with you just to say you know what we did? It’s not a fluke. It’s not a luck thing. This was God first, a group of people that had one vision, one goal, and they allowed themselves to be pushed in. Again, I love my dad, I miss my dad, but I just thank him for being who he is. I just thank him for raising me the right way. He raised me and my brothers and sisters.”
