Who is Amir Khan? Why the internet is obsessed with McNeese men's basketball team manager
The internet is buzzing with talk about McNeese State University's March Madness upset win over Clemson, but not entirely for the reasons you'd expect. Enter: McNeese student manager Amir "Aura" Khan, the first of his name.
Khan is making history in his own right as the first-ever student manager of a college team to be signed to an endorsement deal (he's got a few already, including one with Buffalo Wild Wings), writes Bleacher Report.
Why? It's his "aura," fans say — his charisma and energy.
Some people just have "it," and whatever "it" is, Khan's got it in supply.
Khan is known to hype up the team at McNeese by hoisting up a boom box and blasting their walkout song before games.
He's so popular, even cheerleaders wear socks with his face on them (see video above for proof.)
Fans were even lining up to take selfies with the student manager ahead of Thursday's game, which No. 12 seed McNeese clinched over No. 5 Clemson after holding the Tigers to a lowly 13 first half points and were up by 18 heading into halftime.
Khan is making good use of his 15 minutes, scoring a highlight on CBS Sports's X feed with his memorable quote: "If they kept manager stats for rebounding and wiping up wet spots on the court, I'd put up Wilt Chamberlain numbers."
Did Khan's impeccable "aura" lead to the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament win? The team from Lake Charles, Louisana, takes on No. 4 seed Purdue on Saturday in Round 2. Let's see how March Madness plays out.
Ashley C. Fontones is the Emerging Audiences Editor at The Journal News/lohud.com and oversees breaking and trending news coverage. Have an idea for a poll or a story? Send ideas to afontones@lohud.com.
Contributing: USA TODAY, NorthJersey.com's Albert Bainbridge IV
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: March Madness: The internet is obsessed with McNeese manager Amir Khan
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