Tech's Aimaq announces plans to transfer

Texas Tech center Fardaws Aimaq announced Wednesday night he plans to have his name entered into the NCAA transfer portal.

Aimaq averaged 11.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game during this, his first season with the Red Raiders. He suffered a foot injury before the season, however, and played in only 11 games, not making his Tech debut until Jan. 14.

His announcement came on the heels of the Red Raiders' first-round loss to West Virginia at the Big 12 basketball tournament in Kansas City and Tech's subsequent announcement that Mark Adams is stepping down as head coach.

In a graphic posted by On3Sports, Aimaq wrote, "With the injury and missing 80% of the season, coming back was my goal and not being fully healthy all season was disappointing. Now with the coaching change and issues off the court with the staff, I will be entering the transfer portal."

The transfer portal for men's and women's basketball is open for 60 days beginning Monday.

Two hours earlier, in the post-game press conference, Aimaq said he didn't know what he was going to do next season and that his future was "up in the air."

Early Thursday, Aimaq responded to critics by writing on Twitter, "Funny how they talk crazy when you wanna do what's best for you ... rushed back, wasn't supposed to play, played at 60%, and taking many different things just to get on the court to play. The injury I had holds out most guys 6-8 months to fully recover. Played for my brothers".

The 6-foot-11 senior from Richmond, British Columbia's Steveston-London Secondary School played at Mercer and Utah Valley before signing a scholarship agreement with Tech in May.

A-J sports editor Carlos Silva Jr. contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech's Fardaws Aimaq announces plans to transfer