TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The University of South Florida and basketball fans are mourning the loss of Head Coach Amir Adbur-Rahim.

The 43-year-old was best known for bringing excitement back to the USF men’s basketball team, and more importantly, for being a mentor and leader.

His passing is heartbreaking news here for students, athletes and staff.

According to USF officials, the coach died while undergoing a procedure.

Now, there is a memorial set up in the beloved coach’s honor filled with flowers, hats, balloons, and more.

“Driving in on campus today, you just have this feeling of sadness, and he impacted so many people on campus,” said Romi Levy.

The Bull’s Nation is left mourning for Coach Abdur-Rahim, someone who truly made an impact on and off the court.

“He just had such a powerful personality, I mean, everywhere he went, it was like this light with him,” Levy said.

Romi Levy is a student and on the women’s basketball team. She said she interacted with the coach a lot.

“I had like a special connection with him. His son, Aidan, was like my little brother. So, for me, it was really, really hard seeing this and thinking about the kids, and the family, his wife,” she said.

The Georgia native joined the coaching staff in March of 2023 and led the team to their first regular season conference championship, with a 25-8 record. That record is the most wins in the basketball program’s history.

“It’s great to see growth in young people, man, when they start to see themselves as more than just basketball players, when they start to see themselves as men,” Abdur-Rahim said in a previous press conference.

The season is right around the corner and Levy has a message to the players on the men’s team.

“He’s going to watch them and want them to be successful, because he put so much effort into this and he would just want them to be successful. That’s what he brought with him, so instead of them being sad, which I know it’s really, really hard, I just want them to go hard and play for him,” she said.

Abdur-Rahim was named American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year this past season.

“People are just going to remember him for who he was and the impact that he had, so he was just such a great human being,” Levy said.

The coach is survived by his wife and three children, and students 8 On Your Side spoke with said his legacy will never be forgotten.