Basketball coach Tom Crean made it official on Friday, announcing the hiring of Texas A&M assistant and Atlanta native Amir Abdur-Rahim to fill out his new coaching staff.
The news comes four days after Rivals' Dan McDonald reported that Abdur-Rahim was being considered for the job,
“We are excited to bring Amir, Ari, and their daughter Laila home to Georgia to join the UGA community and our Basketball Family,” Crean said. “Amir has proven himself to be an outstanding basketball coach with the drive and knowledge to help develop players, game plans, and overall scope of the programs he has worked in. His ability to recruit is shown in his energy, dogged determination and relationship building. His knowledge of SEC and ability to work with our big men will provide immediate help.”
Abdur-Rahim joins current Chad Dollar and Joe Scott, who were hired by Crean several weeks ago.
“My family and I are truly honored to be coming home to join Coach Crean and the Georgia Bulldog Family,” Abdur-Rahim said. “I am excited for the opportunity to learn from and work with Coach Crean, who is considered one of the best coaches and developers of young men in the country. His energy, passion and vision for Georgia Basketball and our student-athletes is clear, and one that will be very exciting to be part of."
Prior to coming to Texas A&M, Abdur-Rahim worked as an assistant at the College of Charleston, where he served as recruiting coordinator for the 2012-13 seasons before ultimately being promoted to associate head coach.
Abdur-Rahim had been with Aggies head coach Billy Kennedy since 2014.
Since Abdur-Rahim joined the staff at Texas A&M, the Aggies have signed one of the country’s better classes, a group that included four of the top eight prospects in the state of Texas.
Abdur-Rahim, who played for and also coached under Kennedy at Murray State, owns an impressive resume of player development to go along with his strong recruiting ties, especially in the metro Atlanta area. Crean has previously stated he intends to recruit that area hard.
"I can’t wait to build real relationships with our current and future student-athletes," Abdur-Rahim said. "Having played with Georgia great D.A. Layne and competed against Georgia great Ezra Williams in high school, I know what Committing to the G means and can’t wait to feel the unbelievable energy Stegeman Coliseum has to offer.”
Abdur-Rahim was a three-time All-Southland Conference guard at Southeastern Louisiana from 2001-04, where he led the Lions in scoring all three seasons. He finished ranked among SLU’s career leaders in scoring (No. 7 with 1,282 points), 3-point field goals (No. 2 with 194) and steals (No. 2 with 120). More importantly, he helped an impressive upswing in the SLU’s victory total.
The Lions improved from 7-20 during Abdur-Rahim’s sophomore year to 11-16 his junior season and 20-9 as a senior. That season, Abdur-Rahim was named the NABC All-District 8 team after leading SLU to the Southland Conference regular-season title.
One of 13 children and one of six brothers to play college basketball, his older brother, Shareef, was an NBA All-Star and is currently Vice President of basketball operations for the NBA.
