From Tragedy to Triumph: Why USF’s Game Against Memphis Means More Than Just Protecting First Place

Thursday night’s matchup between USF and Memphis is an opportunity to put a chokehold on first place in the American Conference standings. It’s also a chance for triumph through tragedy for the Tampa Bay community.

USF will head into its matchup against the Tigers riding a four-game winning streak — its longest since 2024, when the late Amir Abdur-Rahim was patrolling the sidelines.

In a lot of ways, the Bulls basketball program is here solely in part to what Abdur-Rahim showed was possible in the 2023-24 season.

He led the Bulls to their first-ever regular-season conference title. The 23 regular-season wins marked the first time in program history they surpassed 20 wins in the regular season. On Feb. 26, 2024, the Bulls checked in at No. 25 in the AP Top 25, the first time in program history they had been ranked.

Along with the success on the hardwood, Abdur-Rahim showed what was possible in the stands during a USF basketball game. A total of 10,659 people attended USF’s game against No. 24 FAU on Feb. 18, 2024, the first-ever sellout at the Yuengling Center. More than 10,000 people then attended USF’s home wins over SMU and Tulane to close out the regular season at the Yuengling Center.

Carson McGrail was the game-day operations manager for the SoFlo Rodeo from 2023 to 2025. SoFlo Rodeo is a student-led organization that helps organize themes for the student section on game day and promote USF sporting events to Bulls students and the Tampa Bay community. McGrail had a front-row seat to the revival inside the Yuengling Center in February and March 2024.

“To be a part of the student section in the spring of 2024 was the highlight of my time at USF. Those three months of pure magic generated a feeling of campus pride I had not seen in my time before that season,” he told the Bay Area Examiner.

A wet blanket was thrown on the Bulls basketball mania when the team was eliminated in the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament. The Bulls’ resume was not strong enough for an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament, and they had to settle for an NIT bid and a second-round elimination.

Just like many modern small-school success stories, the transfer portal was an abrupt end to the fairy tale. The Bulls’ top three leading scorers — Chris Youngblood, Selton Miguel and Kasean Pryor — all transferred to high-major schools.

Then, in October, Abdur-Rahim unexpectedly passed away. The 2024-25 team valiantly played all of its games after Abdur-Rahim’s death, but it struggled under interim head coach Ben Fletcher, going 13-19.

Abdur-Rahim’s strong character is still felt by many of the people who spent time with him, including McGrail.

“Coach Amir was the most sincere and committed person I have ever met. His compassion for the university went beyond the team,” he said. “He took time in every interaction to connect with students.”

Whether it is in the stands of the Yuengling Center, where the student section has been named the “Amir Abdur-Rahim Student Section,” or deep down in the tunnels of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, where Abdur-Rahim’s quote — “This ain’t the same ol’ South Florida, my brotha” — was said by Alex Golesh and Byrum Brown after their upset win over the Florida Gators, his impact on the university is alive and active, and his fingerprints remain on the Bulls basketball program.

In March 2025, USF hired Bryan Hodgson to be the team’s new head coach. “Trust, responsibility, unity, toughness and humility. Amir embodied every single one of these traits, and we will honor him every single day when we step foot in this building by conducting ourselves in the same manner,” he said in his opening news conference.

Fast forward to now: Hodgson and the Bulls have been able to emulate the success on the court. They are 18-8 and 10-3 in league play, holding a two-game lead for first place in the American. The Bulls boast the American’s top-scoring offense and the 10th-best in the country.

Forward Izaiyah Nelson is the frontrunner for American Conference player of the year. With 16 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, he would be just the third player in program history to achieve that, joining Youngblood in 2024 and Charlie Bradley in 1983.

What they haven’t been able to emulate is the support in the stands. The average attendance at the Yuengling Center this season is 4,161, down from the 5,202 average in 2023-24. The season-high attendance is 5,509 against UMBC in December.

That can change Thursday night when the Bulls host the defending American champions with a chance to win their fifth game in a row.

“The energy this team has is amazing, and it’s felt throughout the campus. Students are excited on campus,” current USF student and SoFlo Rodeo member Braden Hart told the Bay Area Examiner following USF’s overtime win against FAU this past Sunday.

SoFlo Rodeo is encouraging fans to wear black attire and is even handing out free T-shirts and hats to help fill the seats at Thursday’s game.

Two years and one day after the sellout against FAU, the stage is set for another big crowd at the Yuengling Center.

A big turnout that would have a lot more impact than just an extra boost for the home team in a big game. A crowd that can celebrate the Bulls basketball program’s triumph through tragedy.