A former Steveston-London Shark basketball star is taking his game to Utah Valley University.
Fardaws Aimaq has officially transferred to the Western Athletic Conference NCAA Division One school after spending this past season at Mercer University in Georgia. The 6-foot-11 standout has three seasons of eligibility remaining and will suit up for the Wolverines in the fall of 2020.
“Fardaws Aimaq is a physically imposing player who can score on the block as well as the perimeter," said Wolverines head coach Mark Madsen. "When I watched him play, the first thing that stood out was his timing and his ability to rebound outside of his area. Daws has soft hands and finishes well inside.
“He is a student athlete of great maturity. I am grateful to his parents Shahnaz and Faramarz Aimaq for raising such a fine young man and I am excited to welcome Daws to campus.”
As a freshman, Aimaq played in 29 games and earned five starts for Mercer last season. He averaged 5.0 points and a team-best 5.3 rebounds while averaging 14.9 minutes per game.
He shot 51.7 percent from the field and tallied 10-plus rebounds in three games last season, including a season-best 13 against Wofford. He also scored a season-high 14 points on 7-of-14 shooting against Georgia Southern.
In high school, Aimaq took the Sharks where they have never gone before — losing the 2016 AAA provincial championship in heartbreaking fashion to Southridge. He was spectacular in that game, scoring 40 points and adding 32 rebounds to secure First Team Tournament honours. In 2017, he was named Richmond League MVP.
Following graduation, he spent a year at Bridgton Academy in Maine to play in one of the top prep leagues in the US, in preparation for the NCAA level.
The Wolverines play in the 8,500 seat UCCU Centre. They finished with a 25-10 record this past season — advancing to the second round of the NIT.
Aimaq will get the opportunity to play close to home too with the WAC including Seattle University.
