South Bound & Down
Fansided

Georgia basketball coach Tom Crean’s savvy builds a powerhouse staff

By Richard Gnann

BLOOMINGTON, IN - JANUARY 21: Georgia basketball Head coach Tom Crean waves to the crowd (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN - JANUARY 21: Georgia basketball Head coach Tom Crean waves to the crowd (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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PHOENIX, AZ – DECEMBER 05: Duane Wilson #13 of the Texas A&M Aggies walks off the court with assistant coach Amir Abdur-Rahim (R) after being defeated by the Arizona Wildcats in the college basketball game at Talking Stick Resort Arena on December 5, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Wildcats defeated the Aggies 67-64. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ – DECEMBER 05: Duane Wilson #13 of the Texas A&M Aggies walks off the court with assistant coach Amir Abdur-Rahim (R) after being defeated by the Arizona Wildcats in the college basketball game at Talking Stick Resort Arena on December 5, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Wildcats defeated the Aggies 67-64. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Amir Abdur-Rahim

The cherry on top of this Georgia basketball assistant coach sundae is another home-grown coach, Amir Abdur-Rahim.

Abdur-Rahim grew up in Marietta, Georgia, and played high school basketball at Wheeler High. Crean may have done his best work hiring Abdur-Rahim, plucking him away from head coach Billy Kennedy’s staff at Texas A&M. Abdur-Rahim was a part of the Texas A&M program that reached the NCAA Tournament two of the past three years, including a Sweet 16 run in 2016.

For Abdur-Rahim, this will be one of the few times in his basketball career he has been away from Kennedy. Abdur-Rahim played for Kennedy at Southeastern Louisiana, then coached with him at Murray State. Abdur-Rahim spent the 2012 season at Georgia Tech as a director of player development under then-head coach Brian Gregory. He then took an assistant coaching job at College of Charleston and worked the 2014 season for the Cougars

Another well-connected basketball insider, Abdur-Rahim’s older brother is Shareef Abdur-Rahim, starred at California 1996. The Vancouver Grizzlies selected Shareef Abdur-Rahim third overall in the 1996 NBA draft.  Shareef Abdur-Rahim enjoyed success with the Atlanta Hawks from 2001-04.

More than money

How did Crean snatch Abdur-Rahim from Texas A&M? Surely Texas A&M, the richest athletic program in the SEC, had enough money to keep Abdur-Rahim financially happy. Abdur-Rahim appeared to be Aggie head Coach Billy Kennedy’s right hand man, seemingly joined at the hip with Kennedy over much of his career.

another home grown coach

A look at the Texas A&M roster provides a clue. Five members of last year’s team will not return for the 2019 season. Also, two other players have not yet decided to return or to enter the NBA draft.

It’s truism that coaches don’t flee talent. Does that mean they bail when talent runs low? Tom Crean knows the answer, and it appears he saw an opportunity with Abdur-Rahim and seized it.

Next: The drop Tech lunacy

Head Georgia  basketball coach Tom Crean’s savvy in identifying and then recruiting great coaches to Athens is apparent. If he can do the same thing with basketball talent, the Stegemen Coliseum will soon be rocking.

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