Texas Tech Red Raiders men's basketball is entering a season of uncertainty after an offseason full of roster turnover. Still, the elite expectations in Lubbock remain high under coach Mark Adams.
Wednesday's announcement all but conformed this, as the Big 12 revealed that Red Raiders forwards Kevin Obanor and Fardaws Aimaq have been named preseason conference honorable mentions.
Despite playing for a mid-major at Utah Valley, Aimaq's arrival in the transfer portal this offseason immediately made him one of the most sought-after transfers headed into next season. He averaged a dominant 18.9 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks last season for the Wolverines in the WAC.
Aimaq was the go-to guy for the Wolverines all season, but had one of his best performances in Utah Valley's huge upset over No. 12 BYU on Dec. 1, putting up 24 points and 22 rebounds. His dominant paint presence proves the competition in a major conference won't be an issue.
However, he'll have to overcome the broken foot he suffered in September in order to prove he's back to his talented ways.
Obanor is one of four returners for the Red Raiders this season, joining Daniel Batcho, KJ Allen, and Jaylon Tyson.
In his first year with Tech last season, Obanor was one of the team's best players. He was fourth on the team in points per game (10) and first in rebounds (5.5).
From the final game of the regular season until Tech's loss to the Duke Blue Devils in the Sweet 16 (seven games), Obanor reached double figures in all of them. He also had three straight double-doubles to close out the year.
Tech opens up the new season on Monday, Nov. 7 against Northwestern State.
More must-reads: