Kennesaw State is going dancing after winning the ASUN conference tournament championship game 67-66 over Liberty. The Owls secured their first-ever tournament birth with a Terrell Burden free throw with less than a second remaining in front of a record setting 3,805 fans at the KSU Convocation Center, their first ever nationally-televised game.
Kennesaw State head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim has seen this program go from three wins in his first season (2019-20) to 26 wins this season. Coach Abdur-rahim joined The Steakhouse Monday morning with Steak and Sandra, and he talked about just how electric the atmosphere surrounding KSU is right now.
"It was all about vision, it was all about belief, but more importantly, it was all about community," said Abdur-Rahim. "It couldn't have been a better time for ESPN to broadcast their first game at Kennesaw State because that's Kennesaw. That's our community. And it's no better way for people to see it then at its best."
It was fitting that the game came down to free throws from Burden, who was a freshman on that 1-28 team. In the quarterfinals versus Queens, Burden and the Owls missed several free throws down the stretch, allowing Queens to get a shot to win the game at the buzzer.
Abdur-Rahim talked about how special Burden is, and how his resolve allows him to perform in moments just like on Sunday.
"If people knew were Terrell came from, going from no scholarship offers to being the MVP of the ASUN tournament, his perseverance and resolve through all of it as been unbelievable," the KSU coach said. "He is my favorite player in the world, and I love him."
The Owls are expected to be a lower seed come Selection Sunday, but Coach also spoke on how the Owls have several things working in their favor.
"It's about experience and and it's about belief, and we have both of those things on our side," Abdur-Rahim said. "We won't be in awe or shocked going against a high-major team. Because of experience and our team, well be ready for it."