TAMPA, Fla. – Amir Abdur-Rahim did not like what he saw in an 82-63 loss at Hofstra on the evening of November 30. It was not so much the Bulls shot 35 percent from the field or were a poor 4-for-11 from the free-throw line. The numbers were bad enough. It was something else, though, that caught the first-year USF coach’s attention.
“One thing this group did not do early on was play with the right type of effort and energy,” he said. “(After the loss to Hofstra) I told them we can always learn and get better from a loss, but it is hard when we are not playing with effort. So, from here on out let there not be another day, practice or game where we do not go out with that effort and enthusiasm.”
Abdur-Rahim delivered the message in a hotel ballroom after arriving in Amherst, Mass. the next day. An intense and productive practice followed the meeting. Though the Bulls lost to UMass by 10 points the following evening to fall to 2-4, it was clear something clicked.
“We didn’t win the game at UMass,” he said. “But I think they walked out (of the arena) with a sense of pride because they left it all in the court.”
The Bulls’ next game was a win over Florida State in Sunrise, the first of 21 wins in 22 games, including what was a school record 15-game win streak.
All the Bulls (23-6, 16-2 AAC) desire to do now is go 1-0. That is to say the slate is clean for the American Athletic Conference tournament in Fort Worth. They take the court Friday (1 p.m., ESPN2) when they meet the winner of Thursday’s game between No. 8 seed Tulsa, which snapped the Bulls’ win streak last Saturday afternoon, and No. 9 seed East Carolina.
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Though the Bulls won the regular season title and spent two weeks in the top 25, they head into the tourney still feeling somewhat snubbed.
“Our team is going into this tournament with the mindset we still have something to prove,” said Abdur-Rahim. “We don’t forget the fact that they picked us ninth.”
What he is referring to is the preseason AAC coaches poll that had the Bulls ninth among the conference’s 14 teams.
If that provided and continues to provide a little fuel, great. What matters most is the Bulls grew into a responsible and accountable team that displayed a selfless manner. One game after the next it was anybody’s guess who was going to rise to the occasion when it mattered most. Like their ball distribution, starring roles were spread around.
“Special things can happen when nobody cares who gets the credit,” said Abdur-Rahim. “This is a group of guys that has not really cared who got the credit. That is not easy to do in today’s environment of collegiate sport, or today’s environment. Period.”
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