TAMPA (May 10, 2023) – University of South Florida Head Men’s Basketball Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim has announced the addition of Ben Fletcher as assistant coach on his first USF staff.
Fletcher spent the previous four seasons as an assistant coach under Abdur-Rahim during their rebuild at Kennesaw State that saw the Owls go from one win in 2019-20 to a school-record 26 wins in 2022-23 and the program’s first Division I NCAA Tournament appearance.
“I am ecstatic to have Coach Fletcher as part of our staff here at South Florida,” said Abdur-Rahim. “Fletch was an integral part of our success at Kennesaw State because at both of our cores, our main purpose is to impact young men in a positive manner.
“He’s a veteran coach who has won as both a coach and a player. Fletch brings a wealth of knowledge and connections to the Southeast. Our program will benefit from having his basketball expertise, but more importantly, our guys will benefit from who he is as a man and leader.”
At Kennesaw State (2019-23), Fletcher helped guide the Owls to the fastest turnaround from a one-win team to an NCAA Tournament team, accomplishing the feat in just three seasons. Kennesaw State posted a 26-9 record in 2022-23, won the ASUN regular season and tournament championships and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. It marked the Owls’ first winning record as an NCAA Division I program and first ASUN conference titles.
Kennesaw State was picked to finish eighth in the ASUN preseason poll, but tallied a 15-3 league record. KSU’s 15 conference wins were five more than the program’s previous record of 10, while the Owls tied for fourth in the nation with 10 road wins, four more than the 2016-17 team’s program-record of six.
The Owls went on to post three wins in the conference tournament, downing Liberty (67-66) in the final to earn the tournament title and automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Tournament, the program’s first-ever. KSU scored 75.0 points per game and shot 46.1 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from three to nearly double the program’s previous high wins mark in Division I. The 14th-seeded Owls took No. 3-seed Xavier to the limit in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, nearly pulling off the first-round upset in what was a one-point game in the final seconds before eventually falling 72-67.
Star guard Chris Youngblood was named a first-team All-Conference and All-District selection and became the first KSU player to be named Georgia Men’s Player of the Year by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Meanwhile, guard Terrell Burden earned second-team All-Conference and All-District honors, marking the first time in program history the Owls received district accolades of any kind. Further, Brandon Stroud was named the ASUN Defensive Player of the Year.
He was named first-team All-Atlantic Sun his senior year (2002-03), helping the Trojans to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance at the Division I level. During that season, he made a Troy Division I single-season record 92 three-pointers, eventually broken by Hunter Williams who was coached by Fletcher. Fletcher finished his career with 160 made three-pointers, the sixth most in Troy’s Division I history.
Fletcher earned a B.S. in sport and fitness management from Troy in 2003. He served as a student assistant at Troy for two seasons before being named assistant coach in 2005.
Originally from Selma, Ala., Fletcher has the distinction of being a member of both Trojan squads that reached the NCAA Tournament, first as a player on the 2002-03 team and then a coach with the 2016-17 team.
Fletcher spent the previous four seasons as an assistant coach under Abdur-Rahim during their rebuild at Kennesaw State that saw the Owls go from one win in 2019-20 to a school-record 26 wins in 2022-23 and the program’s first Division I NCAA Tournament appearance.
“I am ecstatic to have Coach Fletcher as part of our staff here at South Florida,” said Abdur-Rahim. “Fletch was an integral part of our success at Kennesaw State because at both of our cores, our main purpose is to impact young men in a positive manner.
“He’s a veteran coach who has won as both a coach and a player. Fletch brings a wealth of knowledge and connections to the Southeast. Our program will benefit from having his basketball expertise, but more importantly, our guys will benefit from who he is as a man and leader.”
At Kennesaw State (2019-23), Fletcher helped guide the Owls to the fastest turnaround from a one-win team to an NCAA Tournament team, accomplishing the feat in just three seasons. Kennesaw State posted a 26-9 record in 2022-23, won the ASUN regular season and tournament championships and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. It marked the Owls’ first winning record as an NCAA Division I program and first ASUN conference titles.
Kennesaw State was picked to finish eighth in the ASUN preseason poll, but tallied a 15-3 league record. KSU’s 15 conference wins were five more than the program’s previous record of 10, while the Owls tied for fourth in the nation with 10 road wins, four more than the 2016-17 team’s program-record of six.
The Owls went on to post three wins in the conference tournament, downing Liberty (67-66) in the final to earn the tournament title and automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Tournament, the program’s first-ever. KSU scored 75.0 points per game and shot 46.1 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from three to nearly double the program’s previous high wins mark in Division I. The 14th-seeded Owls took No. 3-seed Xavier to the limit in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, nearly pulling off the first-round upset in what was a one-point game in the final seconds before eventually falling 72-67.
Star guard Chris Youngblood was named a first-team All-Conference and All-District selection and became the first KSU player to be named Georgia Men’s Player of the Year by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Meanwhile, guard Terrell Burden earned second-team All-Conference and All-District honors, marking the first time in program history the Owls received district accolades of any kind. Further, Brandon Stroud was named the ASUN Defensive Player of the Year.
He was named first-team All-Atlantic Sun his senior year (2002-03), helping the Trojans to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance at the Division I level. During that season, he made a Troy Division I single-season record 92 three-pointers, eventually broken by Hunter Williams who was coached by Fletcher. Fletcher finished his career with 160 made three-pointers, the sixth most in Troy’s Division I history.
Fletcher earned a B.S. in sport and fitness management from Troy in 2003. He served as a student assistant at Troy for two seasons before being named assistant coach in 2005.
Originally from Selma, Ala., Fletcher has the distinction of being a member of both Trojan squads that reached the NCAA Tournament, first as a player on the 2002-03 team and then a coach with the 2016-17 team.
