Huskies Make the Cut of 5 for Transfer Portal Big Man Fardaws Aimaq

The Canadian is shopping for a new team after two seasons at Utah Valley.

Fardaws Aimaq needs a new basketball team.

In the worst way, the University of Washington Huskies could use a ready-to-play big man.

Any questions?

Well, an Aimaq-to-UW arrangement is not done yet, but it still remains possible.

On Thursday, the 6-foot-11, 245-pound Canadian, according to ESPN, narrowed his transfer portal options to Gonzaga, Iowa, Texas, Texas Tech ... and Washington.

In the process, Aimaq, who's from Vancouver, British Columbia, eliminated NCAA basketball heavyweights Kentucky, Arizona, Arkansas and Houston from further consideration.

There's also still a little matter of him shopping himself  to the NBA, but that might not be any more than a fact-finding mission for him at this point.

While it's not entirely clear what kind of pro basketball player he will become, Aimaq has shown himself to be a formidable collegian, including recently in Seattle.

Four days before this past Christmas, Aimaq supplied 15 points and 15 rebounds while leading the Utah Valley Wolverines, a Western Athletic Conference entry, to a lopsided 68-52 victory over the Huskies at Alaska Airlines Arena.

A third-year sophomore, Aimaq averaged 19 points and 14 rebounds an outing for a 20-12 team, repeated as a first-team All-WAC selection, earned WAC Defensive Player of the Year honors for a second time and was the 2021 WAC Player of the Year.

The year before for Utah Valley, he led the nation in rebounding at 15 per game, becoming the first collegian in 40 years to average that many.

A late bloomer of sorts, Aimaq spent his first collegiate season with Mercer in Macon, Georgia, and averaged 5 points and 5.3 rebounds an outing before transferring to Utah Valley and redshirting.

The Huskies have a roster full guards and swingmen, including 6-foot-5 Noah Williams, who this week revealed his plans to transfer from Washington State to the UW. Yet Mike Hopkins is seriously lacking a post presence, counting only 6-foot-10 sophomore Jackson Grant, who wasn't ready to play a meaningful role last season.

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