Kasean Pryor and Amir Abdur-Rahim

Kasean Pryor is embraced by his coach Amir Abdul-Rahim during a game for South Florida. The coach died last week of complications from a medical procedure at age 43, and the player, now at the University of Louisville, posted this photo on his social media in tribute.

 Kasean Pryor Instagram photo

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – University of Louisville fifth-year transfer Kasean Pryor will take the court with a heavy heart when the Cardinals face Spalding University Monday night in their final preseason warmup.

Pryor, a 6-10 forward from Chicago, played last season at South Florida for first-year Bulls coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, who died suddenly of complications from a medical procedure last week, stunning the college basketball community.

The 43-year-old had taken over a losing program at USF and, in his first season, led the Bulls to 25 wins and a regular-season championship in the American Athletic Conference on his way to AAC Coach of the Year Honors.

Before that, he took Kennesaw State from one victory to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023.

Pryor played last season for USF, where he averaged 13 points and eight rebounds in 32 games, including 21 starts. He credited Abdur-Rahim with seeing promise in him as a junior college player at Northwest Florida State. He played there in 2021-22 after two seasons at Boise State.

In an emotional Instagram post last week, Pryor wrote, “This don’t even feel real coach! You took a chance on a talented juco kid and we made history! You never wavered from anything you said. You was [going to] stand on your word regardless. You believed in my dreams and man it hurts you won’t be here to see me make them come true! In only a short year of being together you helped to change my life forever! Till we meet again!”

Kasean Pryor

Kasean Pryor dunks in Louisville’s 106-59 exhibition win over Young Harris College in the KFC Yum! Center on Oct. 21, 2024.

Pryor came off the bench in Louisville’s season-opening win over Young Harris, scoring seven pints and pulling down a team-high eight rebounds despite an off shooting night – 1 of 8 from three-point range.

It wasn’t quite the 18.5 points Pryor averaged in two summer games in the Bahamas, but the big man figures prominently in the Cardinals’ plans.

“I thought he did a good job,” Louisville coach Pat Kelsey said. “I thought he played well.”

Before the season, Kelsey said of Pryor, “From a personality standpoint, man, he is fun. Kasean is just a big personality. On the floor, man, he is versatile. He’s a matchup nightmare. He’s a guard in a big man’s body.”

Pryor was hosting a podcast for 502Circle’s Floyd Street Media shortly after the new media venture was announced. At Louisville’s media day, he said, “I grew up being a point guard my whole life, shooting guard. Even at 6-8, 6-9 I was a guard on the AAU circuit. So, nothing is new for me. They just started labeling me a ‘big’ last year because my team needed me to play that position. And I played that position. But I’ve always been a guard at heart.”

Heading into its exhibition against Spalding University, a Division III school in Louisville that went 15-12 last season and plays under 26th-year head coach Kevin Gray, Louisville has scored at least 100 points in all three of its exhibitions and is averaging 109.3 points per game. The Cards have made 56 three-pointers in three exhibitions, and have topped 20 three-point field goals twice.

They are coming off a 106-59 win over NCAA Division II Young Harris College a week ago, in which they made 24 three-pointers.

But what Kelsey has praised most is his players’ willingness to pass and create open looks. The Cards have averaged 29 assists per game over three exhibitions.

“You know, we have a lot of guys with a very good assist rate,” Kelsey said. “I always say the back of the bubble gum card says that. We value that in recruiting, you know, guys that make people around them better. And we’ve got a roster full of guys that do that. And, you know, you saw it in the Bahamas and obviously tonight. So, I was proud of our guys. I thought they played very connected, shared the ball. . . . I thought the ball was popping.”

Louisville opens regular season play on Nov. 4 against Morehead State at 7 p.m. in the KFC Yum! Center.

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