Photo by: Stephen Galvin / University of South Florida Athletics
Ben Fletcher, the Man Leading the Team
February 21, 2025 | Men's Basketball
Meet Ben Fletcher, the interim head coach for the USF men’s basketball team
Joey Johnston/Athletics Senior Writer
TAMPA, Fla, Feb. 21, 2025 – Even in this season's darkest moments, the University of South Florida men's basketball interim head coach Ben Fletcher never stopped believing in his team. "We are a resilient bunch,'' Fletcher said. "And there's probably no team in the country better equipped to handle adversity.''
Wednesday night, just when you least expected it, the Bulls delivered a comeback for the ages. With 9:04 remaining, USF trailed by 20 points and was fighting to avoid embarrassment. At that moment, ESPN analytics declared there was a 99.7 percent probability for the Bulls to lose.
And then? It began like the drip-drip-drip of a leaky faucet, a basket here, a defensive stop there. Then it turned rapidly, with a flood of excellent play on both sides of the court. There was confidence. There was swagger. The never-say-die Bulls were rewarded with an unforgettable road triumph, defeating the UTSA Roadrunners 78-73 by displaying enormous pride and heart.
"I think something like this can provide a spark,'' Fletcher said.
Although the season's challenges are becoming more difficult, the Bulls (13-14, 6-8 American Athletic Conference) will host the North Texas Mean Green (19-6, 10-3) on Sunday afternoon at the Yuengling Center. Fletcher said he believes USF's best days are still ahead.
There's no playbook for what Fletcher's team and himself have navigated. At first, he felt guilty, like he was taking advantage of an undeserved opportunity. Then, he experienced backloaded grief for his fallen friend and the family that was left behind.
In the wake of an unimaginable tragedy, the USF players leaned on each other and sought direction from their new leader. But there were days when the emotions were too much, and at times, he felt all alone.
During this practically unprecedented process, amid the bumps and bruises of an unforgiving schedule while enduring injuries and illnesses, Fletcher has discovered his voice.
After a dream-like historic season in 2023-24, which included the AAC regular-season championship and a program-record 15-game winning streak, the Oct. 24 death of beloved Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim put the Bulls in uncharted territory just 11 days before the games began.
Despite up-and-down performances that have the Bulls battling for upper-division status, Fletcher said he's proud of the USF staff and players, who have rallied together. The Bulls remain a team whether the situation calls for smiles or tears.
Has it been perfect? Far from it, actually. But even with a lineup that has been overmatched and outmuscled at times, Fletcher has never questioned USF's effort or purpose.
"Some of the things Coach Amir did (from a motivation standpoint), that was his way of doing it, and I can't try to copy him,'' said Fletcher, who was Abdur-Rahim's trusted sidekick at Kennesaw State and the first season at USF. "But from a basketball aspect, we have been very similar to what we did last season, and we did that together. Coach Amir and I usually preached the same message, but maybe mine was delivered a little differently, a little more like, 'Hey, you might think he's being harsh, but this is what Coach wants you to do.'
"When we returned from Charlotte (in January this season), which was not a good game for us, I thought Brandon Stroud had a perfect message on our group chat. 'Stay the course. Stay hungry. But stay humble.' I think we're of one mind. We have (four) regular-season games left. Let's leave it all out there, and we'll be able to sleep at night, no matter the outcome. But I believe if we continue to buy into the team, if we play our tails off for (four) games and the (AAC) tournament, I think we'll like where we are at the end.''
Fletcher, 44, said he has been so locked in on the day-to-day challenges that he often has no idea which opponents are ahead on the schedule. The task at hand is consuming enough.
"I think Fletch has been unbelievable,'' said Bulls assistant coach Desmond Oliver, a former head coach at East Tennessee State University. "Every staff needs a guy like Fletch, who is so polished, so knowledgeable, and a communicator. I think what Fletch did for Amir last season was incredibly underrated. He was the glue.
"With this adversity, with the emotions he has had to manage, what are we talking about? Other programs would have folded up and gone backward. Fletch has helped to keep it moving. Nobody could've imagined this or signed up for it. But it's what you expect from him. He's such a solid guy.''
DEEP ROOTS IN SELMA
The Ben Fletcher file:
He's about family. He's a little bit country. Back home in Selma, Alabama, everybody remembers Fletcher as the kid obsessed with the game. He always had a basketball in his hands. In two seasons of junior college and two more at Troy University, Fletcher became one of the nation's top 3-point shooters.
Fletcher's hometown will always be known as one of the seminal American civil rights movement locations. In 1965, several hundred Black citizens organized a march from Selma to the Alabama state capital of Montgomery, bringing attention to voter rights. Fletcher's mother was supposed to go, but her parents held her back, fearing violence. Their instincts were correct.
On "Bloody Sunday,'' Alabama state troopers met the unarmed group at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, repelling them with billy clubs and tear gas. The grisly images on the network news programs helped to mobilize President Lyndon B. Johnson and Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act.
"My parents were there during those times, but they did such a good job of raising us and giving us every opportunity for success,'' Fletcher said. "I benefitted from the sacrifices they made.''
Fletcher learned the value of hard work from his father, Willie, who was a butcher. The father had debilitating back injuries that ended his career. But he was determined to provide for his family, so he started a lawn-care business.
"My father was never one to lick his wounds, feel sorry for himself, and just give up,'' Fletcher said.
Fletcher, the youngest of five siblings, learned about service from his three older brothers, who were enlisted in the Army. One fought in Desert Storm. Another was part of a humanitarian mission to Somalia, where there was an ambush of an American Black Hawk helicopter, a chaotic episode that was immortalized in the movie, "Black Hawk Down.''
The older brothers all played basketball, but Fletcher quickly became the family's best athlete, starring at Selma's Southside High, then becoming the nation's No. 2 scorer (25.5 points per game in 2000-01) for the Enterprise Junior College Boll Weevils.
At Troy, Fletcher was a catalyst for Coach Don Maestri, helping the Trojans to the 2003 Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament championship and the program's first NCAA Tournament bid. Fletcher was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after a 29-point performance and was the final player up the ladder to cut his strand of the net. Once on the ground, Fletcher did a little dance, a prelude to Troy's Big Dance.
Loyal? Yeah, you could say that. Fletcher was a two-year graduate assistant for Troy, then spent the next 14 seasons as a Trojan assistant coach.
"It's tough to stay in one place like that for so long,'' Fletcher said. "I guess I hate change. So many people said that wasn't the right way to do it, that I should move around (for career advancement). I love Troy and that community so much. I wasn't looking to leave.''
But he made the leap when he heard from an old college-playing rival, Abdur-Rahim, about joining the Kennesaw State staff in 2019. He leaped again in 2023 when Abdur-Rahim got the USF job.
And then, after the tragedy of Oct. 24, everything changed.
FINDING HIS FOOTING
After Abdur-Rahim's death, Fletcher's first call was to his girlfriend, Tabitha McMullin, who lives out of state. "I'm coming to you right now,'' she said. She couldn't get a flight, so she started driving.
Abdur-Rahim, in big-brother style, had been pushing Fletcher to commit. Now, those words resonated. Fletcher, old school all the way, soon called McMullin's father for permission. He bought an engagement ring, then arranged for dinner at Bern's, followed by a nightcap at a rooftop bar overlooking downtown Tampa.
An unsuspecting McMullin, enjoying the view, turned to find Fletcher on one knee. She gasped. She was too shocked to say yes immediately, but that was a given. Everyone believes they were made for each other.
"She knows what I'm feeling and knows what I'm thinking,'' Fletcher said. "She's a great listener, and she gives great advice. She doesn't just blindly agree with me. She gives me what I need and tells me what I need to hear.''
Fletcher said he knows he needs to lead, not just in basketball. Slowly, he has realized the truth. Just being himself is enough.
"Truthfully, I think it's still Amir's team,'' Fletcher said. "He put this team together. I'm holding it for him. Obviously, all of us had something to do with the recruiting aspect. But these guys came to play for Amir, and that makes it hard and unfair. I understand that.
"Look, there are days when it's rough for me. We've all had a great loss, a trauma. Dr. Lee (Dorpfeld, USF's director of sports psychology) has said that if I need to close the door for 10 minutes, I need to do that. I've made myself vulnerable to these guys, and they know we need to lean on each other.''
Nearly four months after the public outpouring, life has moved on for everyone else. However, USF basketball players are still dealing with the cruel reality. When the going has gotten tough, far from last season's sellout crowds, they just have each other.
"Grief is different for everyone,'' Fletcher said. "I hold them accountable, but I try to give guys a chance to correct it because it remains a tough deal. People don't know the struggles you go through every single day trying to get 15 guys on the same page.
"On a random day, somebody might be thinking, 'My head coach died.' Or 'my chance is over because Coach Amir is the one who believed in me.' Those battles don't go away. It's my job to look at it through a clear lens, push the right buttons, and keep them competitive. And some days, it's tough. That's just the reality.''
USF players said Fletcher has done an admirable job of keeping the Bulls together.
"Coach Fletch has built our confidence,'' guard Jayden Reid said. "He was thrown into the fire under tough circumstances. At first, I felt like he was trying to fill that role. Now, I feel like he has fully embraced it. I see the growth. And I know how much he cares. He always has the right words for us.''
"We've dropped a few games that we shouldn't have (lost), but that's on us, not Coach Fletch,'' forward Kobe Knox said. "He's well-prepared for this role, even though it hasn't been easy for any of us. But this team fights. Even though we have been undersized and maybe outmanned in some games, we're always going to fight. That's a reflection of the coach.''
It goes well beyond X's and O's. It's more than motivation. It's knowing when to push, when to listen, and how to deliver a message. Players say Fletcher usually hits the right notes. The future? That's for later. The Bulls are carrying themselves with dignity and trying to win games.
Just like Coach Amir would have wanted.
Hoping for the perfect finish to an imperfect season, the Bulls are relying on an inner strength that's difficult to define. Only those in USF's inner circle can truly understand.
"Everything we've endured, and it's a lot, we've gone through it as a family,'' Knox said. "And right now, Coach Fletch is the leader of this family.''
Tickets:
Men's basketball single-game and season tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-Go-Bulls or by visiting USFBullsTix.com.
Follow us:
Follow South Florida men's basketball on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
About USF Men's Basketball
The University of South Florida men's basketball, led by interim head coach Ben Fletcher, is a member of the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls enter their 2024-25 campaign, presented by Tampa General Hospital, on the heels of their best season in program history, in which they claimed their first-ever regular season conference title, won a record 25 games, and earned a Top 25 ranking for the first time in program history. A presence on the college basketball scene for more than five decades, South Florida has earned two conference titles and three NCAA tournament bids (1990, 1992, and 2012), appeared in the NIT eight times, and won the 2019 College Basketball Invitational.
South Florida is wearing patches with the initials AAR this season in memory of their head coach, Amir Abdur-Rahim, who passed away in October 2024.
The Bulls play their home games at the 10,400-seat Yuengling Center, located on South Florida's Tampa campus.
– #GoBulls –
Wednesday night, just when you least expected it, the Bulls delivered a comeback for the ages. With 9:04 remaining, USF trailed by 20 points and was fighting to avoid embarrassment. At that moment, ESPN analytics declared there was a 99.7 percent probability for the Bulls to lose.
And then? It began like the drip-drip-drip of a leaky faucet, a basket here, a defensive stop there. Then it turned rapidly, with a flood of excellent play on both sides of the court. There was confidence. There was swagger. The never-say-die Bulls were rewarded with an unforgettable road triumph, defeating the UTSA Roadrunners 78-73 by displaying enormous pride and heart.
"I think something like this can provide a spark,'' Fletcher said.
Although the season's challenges are becoming more difficult, the Bulls (13-14, 6-8 American Athletic Conference) will host the North Texas Mean Green (19-6, 10-3) on Sunday afternoon at the Yuengling Center. Fletcher said he believes USF's best days are still ahead.
There's no playbook for what Fletcher's team and himself have navigated. At first, he felt guilty, like he was taking advantage of an undeserved opportunity. Then, he experienced backloaded grief for his fallen friend and the family that was left behind.
In the wake of an unimaginable tragedy, the USF players leaned on each other and sought direction from their new leader. But there were days when the emotions were too much, and at times, he felt all alone.
During this practically unprecedented process, amid the bumps and bruises of an unforgiving schedule while enduring injuries and illnesses, Fletcher has discovered his voice.
After a dream-like historic season in 2023-24, which included the AAC regular-season championship and a program-record 15-game winning streak, the Oct. 24 death of beloved Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim put the Bulls in uncharted territory just 11 days before the games began.
Ben Fletcher named interim Head Coach for the 2024-25 season.
"This is a difficult time, but I know Coach Amir would want me to do this. Know that I don't take this lightly." https://t.co/x1l9k7RBEH
— USF Men's Basketball (@USFMBB) October 29, 2024
Despite up-and-down performances that have the Bulls battling for upper-division status, Fletcher said he's proud of the USF staff and players, who have rallied together. The Bulls remain a team whether the situation calls for smiles or tears.
Has it been perfect? Far from it, actually. But even with a lineup that has been overmatched and outmuscled at times, Fletcher has never questioned USF's effort or purpose.
"Some of the things Coach Amir did (from a motivation standpoint), that was his way of doing it, and I can't try to copy him,'' said Fletcher, who was Abdur-Rahim's trusted sidekick at Kennesaw State and the first season at USF. "But from a basketball aspect, we have been very similar to what we did last season, and we did that together. Coach Amir and I usually preached the same message, but maybe mine was delivered a little differently, a little more like, 'Hey, you might think he's being harsh, but this is what Coach wants you to do.'
"When we returned from Charlotte (in January this season), which was not a good game for us, I thought Brandon Stroud had a perfect message on our group chat. 'Stay the course. Stay hungry. But stay humble.' I think we're of one mind. We have (four) regular-season games left. Let's leave it all out there, and we'll be able to sleep at night, no matter the outcome. But I believe if we continue to buy into the team, if we play our tails off for (four) games and the (AAC) tournament, I think we'll like where we are at the end.''
Fletcher, 44, said he has been so locked in on the day-to-day challenges that he often has no idea which opponents are ahead on the schedule. The task at hand is consuming enough.
"I think Fletch has been unbelievable,'' said Bulls assistant coach Desmond Oliver, a former head coach at East Tennessee State University. "Every staff needs a guy like Fletch, who is so polished, so knowledgeable, and a communicator. I think what Fletch did for Amir last season was incredibly underrated. He was the glue.
"With this adversity, with the emotions he has had to manage, what are we talking about? Other programs would have folded up and gone backward. Fletch has helped to keep it moving. Nobody could've imagined this or signed up for it. But it's what you expect from him. He's such a solid guy.''
DEEP ROOTS IN SELMA
The Ben Fletcher file:
He's about family. He's a little bit country. Back home in Selma, Alabama, everybody remembers Fletcher as the kid obsessed with the game. He always had a basketball in his hands. In two seasons of junior college and two more at Troy University, Fletcher became one of the nation's top 3-point shooters.
Fletcher's hometown will always be known as one of the seminal American civil rights movement locations. In 1965, several hundred Black citizens organized a march from Selma to the Alabama state capital of Montgomery, bringing attention to voter rights. Fletcher's mother was supposed to go, but her parents held her back, fearing violence. Their instincts were correct.
On "Bloody Sunday,'' Alabama state troopers met the unarmed group at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, repelling them with billy clubs and tear gas. The grisly images on the network news programs helped to mobilize President Lyndon B. Johnson and Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act.
"My parents were there during those times, but they did such a good job of raising us and giving us every opportunity for success,'' Fletcher said. "I benefitted from the sacrifices they made.''
Fletcher learned the value of hard work from his father, Willie, who was a butcher. The father had debilitating back injuries that ended his career. But he was determined to provide for his family, so he started a lawn-care business.
"My father was never one to lick his wounds, feel sorry for himself, and just give up,'' Fletcher said.
Fletcher, the youngest of five siblings, learned about service from his three older brothers, who were enlisted in the Army. One fought in Desert Storm. Another was part of a humanitarian mission to Somalia, where there was an ambush of an American Black Hawk helicopter, a chaotic episode that was immortalized in the movie, "Black Hawk Down.''
The older brothers all played basketball, but Fletcher quickly became the family's best athlete, starring at Selma's Southside High, then becoming the nation's No. 2 scorer (25.5 points per game in 2000-01) for the Enterprise Junior College Boll Weevils.
At Troy, Fletcher was a catalyst for Coach Don Maestri, helping the Trojans to the 2003 Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament championship and the program's first NCAA Tournament bid. Fletcher was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after a 29-point performance and was the final player up the ladder to cut his strand of the net. Once on the ground, Fletcher did a little dance, a prelude to Troy's Big Dance.
Loyal? Yeah, you could say that. Fletcher was a two-year graduate assistant for Troy, then spent the next 14 seasons as a Trojan assistant coach.
"It's tough to stay in one place like that for so long,'' Fletcher said. "I guess I hate change. So many people said that wasn't the right way to do it, that I should move around (for career advancement). I love Troy and that community so much. I wasn't looking to leave.''
But he made the leap when he heard from an old college-playing rival, Abdur-Rahim, about joining the Kennesaw State staff in 2019. He leaped again in 2023 when Abdur-Rahim got the USF job.
And then, after the tragedy of Oct. 24, everything changed.
FINDING HIS FOOTING
After Abdur-Rahim's death, Fletcher's first call was to his girlfriend, Tabitha McMullin, who lives out of state. "I'm coming to you right now,'' she said. She couldn't get a flight, so she started driving.
Abdur-Rahim, in big-brother style, had been pushing Fletcher to commit. Now, those words resonated. Fletcher, old school all the way, soon called McMullin's father for permission. He bought an engagement ring, then arranged for dinner at Bern's, followed by a nightcap at a rooftop bar overlooking downtown Tampa.
An unsuspecting McMullin, enjoying the view, turned to find Fletcher on one knee. She gasped. She was too shocked to say yes immediately, but that was a given. Everyone believes they were made for each other.
"She knows what I'm feeling and knows what I'm thinking,'' Fletcher said. "She's a great listener, and she gives great advice. She doesn't just blindly agree with me. She gives me what I need and tells me what I need to hear.''
Fletcher said he knows he needs to lead, not just in basketball. Slowly, he has realized the truth. Just being himself is enough.
"Truthfully, I think it's still Amir's team,'' Fletcher said. "He put this team together. I'm holding it for him. Obviously, all of us had something to do with the recruiting aspect. But these guys came to play for Amir, and that makes it hard and unfair. I understand that.
"Look, there are days when it's rough for me. We've all had a great loss, a trauma. Dr. Lee (Dorpfeld, USF's director of sports psychology) has said that if I need to close the door for 10 minutes, I need to do that. I've made myself vulnerable to these guys, and they know we need to lean on each other.''
Nearly four months after the public outpouring, life has moved on for everyone else. However, USF basketball players are still dealing with the cruel reality. When the going has gotten tough, far from last season's sellout crowds, they just have each other.
"Grief is different for everyone,'' Fletcher said. "I hold them accountable, but I try to give guys a chance to correct it because it remains a tough deal. People don't know the struggles you go through every single day trying to get 15 guys on the same page.
"On a random day, somebody might be thinking, 'My head coach died.' Or 'my chance is over because Coach Amir is the one who believed in me.' Those battles don't go away. It's my job to look at it through a clear lens, push the right buttons, and keep them competitive. And some days, it's tough. That's just the reality.''
USF players said Fletcher has done an admirable job of keeping the Bulls together.
"Coach Fletch has built our confidence,'' guard Jayden Reid said. "He was thrown into the fire under tough circumstances. At first, I felt like he was trying to fill that role. Now, I feel like he has fully embraced it. I see the growth. And I know how much he cares. He always has the right words for us.''
"We've dropped a few games that we shouldn't have (lost), but that's on us, not Coach Fletch,'' forward Kobe Knox said. "He's well-prepared for this role, even though it hasn't been easy for any of us. But this team fights. Even though we have been undersized and maybe outmanned in some games, we're always going to fight. That's a reflection of the coach.''
It goes well beyond X's and O's. It's more than motivation. It's knowing when to push, when to listen, and how to deliver a message. Players say Fletcher usually hits the right notes. The future? That's for later. The Bulls are carrying themselves with dignity and trying to win games.
Just like Coach Amir would have wanted.
Hoping for the perfect finish to an imperfect season, the Bulls are relying on an inner strength that's difficult to define. Only those in USF's inner circle can truly understand.
"Everything we've endured, and it's a lot, we've gone through it as a family,'' Knox said. "And right now, Coach Fletch is the leader of this family.''
Tickets:
Men's basketball single-game and season tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-Go-Bulls or by visiting USFBullsTix.com.
Follow us:
Follow South Florida men's basketball on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
About USF Men's Basketball
The University of South Florida men's basketball, led by interim head coach Ben Fletcher, is a member of the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls enter their 2024-25 campaign, presented by Tampa General Hospital, on the heels of their best season in program history, in which they claimed their first-ever regular season conference title, won a record 25 games, and earned a Top 25 ranking for the first time in program history. A presence on the college basketball scene for more than five decades, South Florida has earned two conference titles and three NCAA tournament bids (1990, 1992, and 2012), appeared in the NIT eight times, and won the 2019 College Basketball Invitational.
South Florida is wearing patches with the initials AAR this season in memory of their head coach, Amir Abdur-Rahim, who passed away in October 2024.
The Bulls play their home games at the 10,400-seat Yuengling Center, located on South Florida's Tampa campus.
– #GoBulls –
Joey Johnston
Athletics Senior Writer
Players Mentioned
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