If there is one team in the NCAA Tournament that has found itself at the forefront of headlines through one round of play it’s McNeese basketball.
But it isn’t just Will Wade’s reported agreement to fill the vacant coaching job at NC State after the season ends, nor the fact they pulled off the first true upset of the 2025 March Madness Tournament.
McNeese’s student manager, Ahmir “Aura” Khan, is also a significant part of the Cowboys story in this postseason run.
REQUIRED READING: McNeese State manager Amir Khan bringing ‘crazy attention’ to Cowboys’ run
Wait, what? A student manager is a bigger story than the head coach and the 12 players on a roster? Yes, and that is the beauty of March Madness: Year after year, the one-of-a-kind tournament puts the spotlight on unsung heroes and makes them into social media sensations overnight.
FOLLOW THE MADNESS: NCAA men’s tournament bracket, scores, schedules, teams and more.
Khan and McNeese are coming off the first NCAA Tournament victory in program history on Thursday against No. 5 seed Clemson. A win on Saturday against No. 4 Purdue would send the Cowboys to their first-ever Sweet 16 appearance.
Here’s what you need to know about Khan ahead of Saturday’s NCAA Tournament second-round game:
Who is Amir Khan? Meet McNeese basketball manager
Khan is the student manager for the McNeese basketball program, who has gone viral over the last month of the Cowboys’ season.
He first went viral on Feb. 22, when he was seen rapping “In & Out” by Lud Foe word-for-word while leading the Cowboys out for the game from their locker room while wearing an enormous boombox around his neck (warning: explicit language used).
Since then, Khan has become one of the most popular members of McNeese’s program and the NCAA Tournament. CBS Sports cameras caught Khan leading McNeese once again out onto the court at Amica Mutual Pavilion ahead of its first-round game vs. No. 5 Clemson on Thursday.
“It was an amazing moment, because it was so genuine. It was just me feeding off their energy,” Khan told USA TODAY’s Paul Myerberg Friday of his viral moment. “That’s kind of how it’s been all year. We have a great relationship. It’s definitely fun to be a part of.”
His recent rise to fame has helped him land name, image and likeness (NIL) deals with Buffalo Wild Wings, TickPick and Insomnia Cookies.
“I enjoy the free cookies,” Khan joked with Myerberg on his NIL deals.
McNeese’s cheerleaders were also seen wearing “Amir Khan” socks on Thursday on the sidelines in Providence, while Khan was seen taking selfies with fans in the stands on Thursday.
“It’s crazy. Because I never would have imagined this would have ever happened,” Khan told The Associated Press in postgame. “I appreciate them for wearing it. I appreciate all the love and support. And seeing them wearing it means a lot to me.”
On Friday following McNeese’s first NCAA Tournament win, Topps announced on X (formerly Twitter) that it has signed Khan to an NIL deal that has created his own trading card.
Quite legendary for a 22-year-old sports management major from Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Like many student managers, Khan volunteered himself to be McNeese’s student manager before the 2022-23 season. Coined the “Amir Khan Effect” by CBS Sports, the Cowboys have won a combined 59 games in the two seasons that Khan has been the manager. McNeese only had 22 combined wins prior to his arrival.
“He’s a servant leader in the sense that when I was a manager at Clemson, you’re at a bigger school. You have scholarship money we can divvy out. We’re McNeese. We have no scholarship money,” Wade said in an interview with The Associated Press. “This is strictly volunteer. When we got the job, we had no managers, we had nothing.
He added: “I joked with him. He’s our clock guy, which is the hardest thing to do in practice. You have to know the scoring in each of the drills. I said, ‘Man, all this fame is getting to your head. You have to buckle in.'”
What is Amir Khan’s nickname?
Khan’s nickname is “Aura.”
As for where the nickname “Aura” comes from, it has to do with the drip and bling that Khan wears on the sidelines. In other words, aura is today’s version of the word “swag.” That isn’t the only nickname he has given himself though. In a segment with March Madness, Khan gave himself a comparison to Basketball Hall of Famer and two-time NBA champion Wilt Chamberlain.
“If they kept manager stats for rebounding and wiping up wet spots on the court, I’d put up Wilt Chamberlain numbers,” Khan said.
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