Move over, Cooper Flagg. Step aside, Johni Broome. Sorry, Rick Pitino, a new face of the NCAA Tournament has emerged.
His name is Amir Khan, a 5-foot-7, student manager-turned-hype man who is taking the internet by storm.
A video of Khan went viral last month, showing him leading the McNeese Cowboys men’s basketball team down the tunnel before its game against Texas A&M Corpus-Christi. He has a large Bluetooth boom box draped over his shoulder while he blares out lyrics to Lud Foe’s “In & Out” along with members of the team.
“Not only did I know the song, but it is one of my favorite songs,” Khan said in an interview with The Associated Press. “So yeah, I just rapped a few of the lyrics. Some of the players saw that I was rapping it and they just kind of hyped me up telling me, ‘Hey, just keep going, rap for us!’ We had the camera on us, but that’s usually not a new thing. So yeah, I just I just rapping and having fun with it.”
It should serve as no surprise that all eyes were on Khan when the Cowboys took the floor in their NCAA Tournament first-round matchup against Clemson on Thursday. And while the game itself was everything that makes the month of March so special for the sport of college basketball, resulting in a thrilling 69-67 upset win for the 12th-seeded Cowboys over No. 5 Clemson, it was Khan who was the center of attention once the final buzzer sounded.
FOX Sports college basketball reporter John Fanta was on hand at Amica Mutual Pavillion and was able to catch up with the man they call “Aura” following the Cowboys’ first-ever NCAA Tournament victory.
Fanta: Your McNeese Cowboys just pulled it off, beating Clemson. What were you thinking when that clock hit zero?
Khan: We got our first (NCAA Tournament) win in school history. McNeese is the hometown school and for us to get a win means the world to me.
Fanta: What was the boombox blasting pregame?
Khan: “No Switch” by NBA Youngboy!
* McNeese junior guards Quadir Copeland and Sincere Parker join the interview
Fanta: What’s this guy like? What does this guy mean to you?
Copeland: Talk to him! He is Aura. This is Aura right here!
Parker: This is really my mans! He’s in the gym early every day, getting rebounds. He’s for real. When he said he had Wilt Chamberlain numbers, he really did. Tell ’em, boy!
Fanta: Just how cool is this for you?
Khan: Yeah, it means a lot. I never expected any attention really as a manager, so to receive all the love and support I’ve received over the last few weeks, it means a lot to me. But I’m really just focused on trying to do what I do for the team and helping them so they can do what they do on the court.
Fanta: You have Buffalo Wild Wings (as a sponsor). You have Insomia Cookies. Any others?
Khan: Well, and I had TickPick.
Fanta: That’s right. The business is rolling.
Khan: It definitely is, but it’s because of these guys. It’s because of this team.
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him at @John_Fanta.
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