KENNESAW -- New Kennesaw State men's basketball coach Amir Abdur-Rahim made it clear during his introductory news conference Friday that Cobb County high school coaches are going to know what his program is all about.
"It's about nurturing the relationships," said Abdur-Rahim, an east Cobb native who graduated from Wheeler High School in 2000. "My thing when we get our staff here is to let (local coaches) know we're accessible. If they say, 'Come watch this kid,' it's not going to take us three weeks to get there. No, we're going to get there, put our eyes on him and evaluate."
Abdur-Rahim is the seventh coach in Kennesaw State history, but the first from Cobb County. He replaces Al Skinner, who went 41-83 overall and 23-35 in ASUN Conference play over four years.
Kennesaw State went 6-25 overall this past season, with a 3-13 record in conference play. Skinner left the program before the eighth-seeded Owls lost to Lipscomb in the first round of the ASUN tournament.
Kennesaw State athletic director Milton Overton said there were more than 300 applicants for the job, but Abdur-Rahim, who spent the last year on Tom Crean's staff at Georgia, was everything the Owls needed in a new coach.
"We wanted a proven winner, a winner on the mid-major level and the Power 5," Overton said. "He shares KSU's common values and graduates his players. He's someone who has great relationships, and he's a coach and teacher that can identify and develop great talent.
"I'm so glad that one of Cobb County's own not only met but exceeded all the criteria we were looking for. I think its fitting at this time in our history that we are able to hire one of Cobb County's own to lead Cobb County's basketball team."
By John Bednarowski [email protected]
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