'They believe': South Florida's hot start is no fluke

TAMPA, Fla. -- USF manager Alex Golesh repeated the aforesaid happening aft some of his team's archetypal 2 wins -- a stunning blowout successful the play opener against Boise State, and different shocker past play against Florida -- "This ain't the aforesaid ol' South Florida, my brother!"

The 2-0 Bulls are ranked for the archetypal clip since 2018, notched the archetypal triumph successful schoolhouse past implicit the Gators and are an aboriginal favourite to triumph the Group of 5 automatic berth into the College Football Playoff.

But determination is much meaning down those words, much than conscionable a connection astir large nonconference wins. Those 9 words are a motion to 1 of Golesh's adjacent friends.

On the broadside of his headset, Golesh has the initials AAR, for the precocious USF men's hoops manager Amir Abdur-Rahim.

Golesh and Abdur-Rahim were hired wrong 3 months of each other, akin coaches with akin beliefs, tasked with the aforesaid goal: Get USF to shed its underachiever status. Abdur-Rahim had done it astatine his erstwhile halt astatine Kennesaw State, processing the Owls from being a one-win squad to reaching the NCAA tournament.

Golesh had inherited a one-win shot programme and looked to Abdur-Rahim for advice. A fewer days aft Abdur-Rahim was hired, Golesh went to spot him successful his office.

"They had virtually conscionable done astatine Kennesaw what we were trying to do, physique it the close way," Golesh said.

The 2 deed it disconnected immediately. Their kids went to the aforesaid schools. Their wives became friends. That archetypal outpouring they were together, successful 2023, Abdur-Rahim would travel retired to signifier and rapidly became a fixture astir the shot program.

He would substance Golesh aft games that archetypal play and offered his thoughts connected a four-year program for success. Golesh and his son, Barrett, would spell to hoops games arsenic Abdur-Rahim led USF to its champion play ever successful 2023-24, winning its archetypal league rubric and a school-record 25 games. It was during that tally that Abdur-Rahim went viral for saying, "This ain't the aforesaid ol' South Florida, my brother!"

As the Bulls finished disconnected their 34-7 triumph implicit Boise State connected Aug. 28, Golesh felt a beingness astir him. He thought backmost to what Abdur-Rahim told him from the precise beginning: Year 3 is erstwhile the players halt hoping they tin win. Now, they commencement believing they tin win.

"Amir utilized to ever say, 'They ain't gonna judge until they spot it," Golesh told ESPN. "I felt like, 'All right. They believe.'"

That content is wherefore USF is 2-0. The question is: How did Golesh get them to believe?

When Golesh met with then-USF diversion manager Michael Kelly to sermon the unfastened caput coaching occupation successful December 2022, helium had questions. USF had moments of occurrence successful its abbreviated shot past -- including back-to-back 10-win seasons successful 2016 and 2017 -- but its much caller grounds was abysmal. The Bulls finished 2022 with a 1-11 grounds and 4 full victories implicit a three-year span. And the programme had ne'er won a league title.

Golesh wanted to cognize close distant -- Would USF supply the resources required to win? Would they springiness him clip to crook the programme around? The reply to some was a resounding yes.

"His acquisition astatine different places showed what helium felt helium needed," Kelly told ESPN. "I ne'er felt it was unreasonable. It was just, 'This is the mode it is if we're going to triumph this league.'"

Kelly said the unit size increased, and an further $1.5 cardinal was added to the adjunct manager wage pool. The recruiting fund increased. Golesh besides had the full nutrition, spot and conditioning programme and diversion grooming unit revamped.

Under the erstwhile staff, for example, players got meal and luncheon but nary meal astatine the facility. But now, they get 3 meals a time and person entree to a nutrition barroom successful the value room. Plus, determination are afloat stocked mini-fridges and snack baskets successful each squad gathering room.

There was nary bigger motion of committedness to shot than the support of an on-campus $349 cardinal shot stadium, acceptable to unfastened successful 2027, an thought that had been decades successful the making. Most days, USF players signifier to the dependable of steel...