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Fardaws Aimaq (born January 6, 1999) is a Canadian basketball player for the Texas Tech Red Raiders of the Big 12 Conference. He previously played for the Mercer Bears and the Utah Valley Wolverines.

Fardaws Aimaq

No. 11 – Texas Tech Red Raiders
Position	Center
League	Big 12 Conference
Personal information
Born	(1999-01-06) January 6, 1999 (age 23) Vancouver, British Columbia
Nationality	Canadian
Listed height	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight	245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High school	Steveston-London (Richmond, British Columbia) Bridgton Academy (Bridgton, Maine)
College	Mercer (2018–2019) Utah Valley (2020–2022) Texas Tech (2022–present)
Career highlights and awards
NCAA season rebounds leader (2021) WAC Player of the Year (2021) 2× WAC Defensive Player of the Year (2021, 2022) 2× First-team All-WAC (2021, 2022) WAC All-Defensive team (2022)

Early life and high school career

Aimaq grew up swimming and practiced mixed martial arts for 11 years, earning a black belt. He started playing competitive basketball after growing to 6'3" during eighth grade.[1] Aimaq attended Steveston-London Secondary School in Richmond, British Columbia.[2] He led his team to its first-ever AAA provincial title game. Aimaq played a postgraduate season at Bridgton Academy in Bridgton, Maine.[3] He averaged 18.6 points and 13.8 rebounds per game, earning First Team All-NEPSAC Class AAA honors. Aimaq committed to playing college basketball for Mercer.[4]

College career

As a freshman at Mercer, Aimaq averaged five points and 5.3 rebounds per game.[5] He left the program after head coach Bob Hoffman was fired. He transferred to Utah Valley and sat out for one season due to NCAA transfer rules.[1] On December 12, 2020, Aimaq scored 27 points and grabbed a program-record 20 rebounds in a 93–88 loss to Wyoming.[6] On January 15, 2021, he recorded 29 points and 14 rebounds in a 93–92 win over Seattle.[7] On February 13, Aimaq posted 18 points and 25 rebounds, breaking his program record for rebounds in a game, as Utah Valley lost to Dixie State, 93–89.[8] As a sophomore, he led NCAA Division 1 in rebounding with 15 rebounds per game in addition to 13.9 points, 1.6 assists and 1.7 blocks per game.[9] Aimaq was named WAC Men's Basketball Player of the Year and WAC Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Year. Following the season, he declared for the 2021 NBA draft, but ultimately returned to Utah Valley for his junior season.[10] As a junior, he averaged a career-high 18.9 points per game, along with 13.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.3 blocks. He repeated as the WAC Defensive Player of the Year as well as a First Team All-WAC honor.[11]

On March 18, 2022, Aimaq entered the transfer portal and also declared for the 2022 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility.[12] On April 30, 2022, Aimaq committed to Texas Tech while also remaining in the NBA Draft.[13]

Career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

*	Led NCAA Division I

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2018–19	Mercer	29	5	14.9	.517	1.000	.420	5.3	.2	.2	.8	5.0
2019–20	Utah Valley	Redshirt
2020–21	Utah Valley	22	22	30.5	.485	1.000	.618	15.0*	1.6	.2	1.7	13.9
2021–22	Utah Valley	32	32	34.4	.490	.435	.723	13.6	1.7	.7	1.3	18.9
Career		83	59	26.6	.493	.458	.647	11.1	1.2	.4	1.2	12.7

Personal life

Aimaq's father, Faramarz, is from Afghanistan but moved to Germany, before settling in Canada, to escape the Soviet-Afghan War. Aimaq is a Muslim.[1]

References

External links

• Utah Valley Wolverines bio
• Mercer Bears bio

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