This offseason saw two of the biggest college basketball transfer land in the state of Texas as former Iowa State standout Tyrese Hunter joined coach Chris Beard and the Longhorns while Texas Tech and coach Mark Adams earned a commitment from the highly coveted Fardaws Aimaq of Utah Valley.
With these two set to faceoff during this in-state rivalry, the differences in their backgrounds and skillsets are obvious with Hunter; a 6-foot-1 ball-handling guard, having spent his first season at the high-major level winning the Big 12’s 2021-22 Rookie of the Year before arriving in Texas.
While Aimaq; a 6-foot-11 forward, unites with the Red Raiders following a season at Mercer and three at Utah Valley where he’d win 2020-21 WAC Player of the Year and back-to-back conference Defensive Player of the Year awards.
But despite the differences, they both pose major potential and ability that will surely impact the Big 12 this season and keep both Texas and Texas Tech atop the conference’s competition. However, with both marking two of this offseason’s biggest additions, which player in Fardaws Aimaq (Texas Tech) and Tyrese Hunter (Texas) would you rather have on your roster?
In Aimaq, Texas Tech is getting a fairly professional-level talent after testing the NBA’s draft process during this offseason but ultimately opting to return to college basketball. With this comes invaluable experience having played three full seasons as a dominant big man averaging a double-double with 18.9 PPG, 13.6 RPG, and 1.3 BKPG.
The main question now surrounding Aimaq is how well his talents will translate from the mid-major level to the Big 12 while Hunter joins Texas after a season already spent within the conference putting up proven numbers as the former top-50 prospect averaged 11 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 4.9 APG while starting 35 games for the Cyclones.
But having spent just one season at the Division I level on an Iowa State squad that finished 7th in the Big 12 and failed to progress past the conference tournament’s quarterfinals, Hunter’s inexperience could be key and brings into question how he’ll fair on a somewhat more consistent and possibly skillful roster in Austin.
So which transfer would you have preferred for your program? The 6-foot-11 forward who’s a double-double machine but remains untested at the high-major level or the 6-foot-1 sophomore guard who may not be as dominant but is a proven commodity in the conference as the 2021-22 ROY with multiple seasons of eligibility remaining.
