One of the unique aspects of the NCAA Tournament annually is the attention paid to characters who aren’t actually playing. Sometimes, that comes from quotable coaches. Sometimes, it’s celebrity fans, like Loyola Chicago Ramblers chaplain Sister Jean.
This year, one of those is McNeese State manager Amir “Aura” Khan, who got several broadcast spotlights Saturday ahead of and during the Cowboys’ clash with Purdue.
Oh, and those NIL deals? CBS’ Matt Norlander had some details on those:
This is far from the first Khan has received such attention. He’s become a social media star for his boombox walkouts, efforts cleaning up on-court wet spots, and more. He took photos with fans around the Cowboys’ first-round upset of Clemson Thursday, and McNeese State cheerleaders wore shirts and socks with his image during that game.
Khan has also received praise from Cowboys players. That includes what guard DJ Richards Jr. told Kyle Hightower of the Associated Press.
“The managers, they really don’t get credit for what they do,” Richards said. “They follow us all year. They rebound for us. They get up early and then they still have to go to class and come back and rebound again. … I love that Amir is getting this. They all do a lot of good things for us. All we do is put the ball in the hoop. I hope it keeps going.”
The Cowboys have drawn a lot of attention this year, including around that upset of the Tigers and head coach Will Wade’s unusual honesty about perhaps moving on to another job after the tournament.
The focus on Khan fits into that and also adds him to the list of March Madness characters that will remembered over the years.
About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.