On March 29 the news was broken that Kennesaw State Head Men’s Basketball coach Amir Abdur-Rahim had accepted the offer to fill the head coaching vacancy of the South Florida Bulls.
Not long after, soon-to-be seniors Chris Youngblood, Brandon Stroud and Kasen Jennings officially announced their decision to enter the transfer portal.
After being labeled as “Do not contact” members of the transfer portal, it was heavily speculated that all three players would be following coach Abdur-Rahim to Tampa, Florida to play for the Bulls.
The rumors were confirmed on April 1-2 via the players’ social media.
Youngblood who was named first-team All-ASUN last season leaves KSU sitting at ninth on the all-time scoring list and sixth in 3-pointers made.
“It was a great honor to play for Kennesaw State and represent this university for the last three years,” Youngblood said on his Instagram and Twitter, “To the entire Owl nation, professors, staff members, and fans thank you for cheering me on throughout my experience at KSU. I am forever grateful for the love I received here.”
Youngblood’s high school teammate at East Coweta High, Stroud, took home the Defensive Player of the Year honor in the ASUN. Stroud departs from KSU at sixth on the all-time rebounding list and has started 79 of his 89 games as an Owl.
“I want to thank the city of Kennesaw and Kennesaw State University for showing love and support toward me, my family, and the guys,” Stroud posted. “I thank all the supporters for helping me become a better player and person. The fans and supporters not only stood with us during the ASUN Championship, but they believed in us throughout the entire season.”
Finally, guard Jennings will also be headed to South Florida after being in and out of the starting lineup throughout the season.
During his time as an Owl, Jennings made his impact from behind the 3-point line, shooting 38%, and on the defensive end. Abdur-Rahim at one point labeled Jennings as the Owls’ single-best perimeter defender.
“I want to thank Kennesaw State University and all the faculty and staff members that have been a part of my journey these past three years,” Jennings noted on social media, “I want to thank the Owl fans for standing with us throughout the season and helping us reach our goal of becoming conference champions.”
All three players hail from the Owls’ 2020 recruiting class, which will go down in the books as the most successful class to date for Kennesaw State Men’s Basketball. It will be no easy task for the new administration to replace their production in the 2023-24 season.
The departures of Youngblood and Stroud as well as the graduation of Spencer Rodgers open three spots in the starting lineup for the Owls next season.
Bench guards Quincy Ademekoya and Simeon Cottle are among those expected to serve larger roles for the Owls next season.
