Kasean Pryor Honors Former Coach in Louisville's Exhibition Win over Spalding

South Florida head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim passed away late last week.

Louisville Cardinals forward Kasean Pryor (7) flexes after a first half slam dunk against Spalding University in the Cards' second exhibition game at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. / Matt Stone/Courier Journal/USA Today Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - When the Louisville men's basketball program took the floor on Monday night for their second and final exhibition game, Kasean Pryor had a lot more than basketball on his mind.

Last Thursday, the transfer forward from USF lost a major influence in his life. South Florida head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, who coached Pryor last season during his lone season with the Bulls, passed away unexpectedly due to complications that arose during a medical procedure. He was 43.

Abdur-Rahim was a rising star in the college basketball coaching world. In four seasons as the head coach at Kennesaw State, he took to Owls from 1-28 in year to 26-9 with an NCAA Tournament berth. In what wound up being his only season coaching USF last season, the Bulls went 25-8 with an AAC regular season title.

During that 2023-24 season, Pryor was a big part of USF's success. He was the Bulls' third-leading scorer at 13.0 points per game, while also pulling down a team-best 7.9 rebounds. He also averaged 1.8 assists, shot 44.7/35.2/81.5 for the season, and logged 12 double-doubles.

"To hear the way that Kasean talked about Amir, tells you everything you need to know about what kind of teacher he was," Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey said. "We lost a great one – a great person, a great family man, a great coach and it is very sad."

So went it came time to go back on the court and do battle against Spalding for the Cardinals' final exhibition tuneup, Pryor did so with a tribute to his former coach. On his shoes, Pryor wrote a simple message: "BALL 4 AMIR"

"BALL 4 AMIR"
Louisville’s Kasean Pryor with a message on his shoes tonight in honor of his former coach, the late Amir Abdur-Rahim#GoCards x @USFMBB x @KSUOWLSMBB x @WHAS11 @1kasean pic.twitter.com/sYgm71A52W

— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) October 28, 2024

Pryor wound up doing just that.

In just 20 on-court minutes, the 6-foot-10, 210-pound big man scored a team-high 26 points, shooting 9-of-12 from the field and hitting all three of his three pointers. He also hauled in seven rebounds, and logged three steals in the Cardinals' 99-54 win over the Golden Eagles.

"It has been tough," Pryor said after the game. "I was able to go to his memorial in Atlanta yesterday. I was able to fly out there and come back. That meant a lot to me.

"To come out here and glorify his name and do it for them. It would have been a disservice not to go out there and go as hard as I can after all the love and time he put into making sure I was on top of my square. It’s just about going out there and obviously having fun, playing for my teammates, and going hard for coach.”

Pryor felt the outpouring of love from Louisville as well. Whether it was the coaching staff or his teammates, they made sure to support Pryor during his time of mourning.

“It’s been unbelievable," he said. "There’s been no better support group, support system around me. All my teammates have put their arms around me. They sent me text messages, anything I needed, they were there for me. All the love I could feel it.

"It is a great feeling having those guys and knowing they’re supporting me. The whole staff has supported me and knowing that the city is supporting me through this tough time, it’s like none other having that type of support around me.”

(Photo of Kasean Pryor: Matt Stone - Courier Journal/USA Today Network)

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