Advertisement
basketball Edit

Abdur-Rahim's relationship with Crean was the clincher

A four-year relationship with Georgia head coach Tom Crean convinced former Virginia player Jabri Abdur-Rahim that he should become a Bulldog.

"I've known Coach Coach for a while, and when I left Virginia, I felt our relationship was still strong," Abdur-Rahim said in a telephone interview with UGASports. "Of the schools who were recruiting me, he was the one I felt knew me the best. I knew him the best, so it made the most sense that way."

If the name sounds familiar, it should. Abdur-Rahim is the son of former NBA standout Shareef Abdur-Rahim and a nephew of Amir Abdur-Rahim, currently the head coach at Kennesaw State, who served with Crean for one year as an assistant at Georgia.

Although they spoke, Jabri Abdur-Rahim said left the decision up to him.

"He wanted to remain unbiased; he wanted me to make the best decision for me," he said. "He just tried to keep me as informed as possible, just as he did with all the other schools."

Jabri Abdur-Rahim only played one season with the Cavaliers after signing with the program last year. He appeared in eight games.

Still, the 6-foot-7, 214-pound wing is a welcome get for the Bulldogs, following former FAU standout Jailyn Ingram’s decision Sunday to join the Georgia program.

Abdur-Rahim was the nation’s 45th-ranked player and the ninth-best small forward his senior year at New Jersey’s Blair Academy.

At Blair, Abdur-Rahim established himself as a top scorer, averaging 31.5 points and five rebounds per game during an injury-shortened senior season.

As a junior, he led Blair to a 28-3 record and a New Jersey Prep A state championship by averaging 16 points and 8.7 rebounds.

"I think I bring a lot of excitement, offensively and defensively," Abdur-Rahim said. "I think I'm a player who tries to do whatever he can do help the team win and when I step on the court I just try to lay it all out there for the better of the team."

Along with former Southern Cal transfer Noah Baumann, Abdur-Rahim, Ingram and former Chicago-Illinois player Braelen Bridges give the Bulldogs four transfers to join the program since the end of the season.

"I don't know them, but in my conversations with Coach Crean it sounds like they're really good players," Abdur-Rahim said. "I'm looking forward to sharing the court with them."

Abdur-Rahim is familiar with with Bulldog guard Sahvir Wheeler, who he played AAU ball with on a handful of occasions.

The two have spoken.

"We talked," Abdur-Rahim said. "He congratulated me and things like that. We're excited to play with each other."

Jabri Abdur-Rahim was the nation's 45th-ranked player in 2020.
Jabri Abdur-Rahim was the nation's 45th-ranked player in 2020. (USA Today)
Advertisement