BERKELEY – California forward Fardaws Aimaq was named to the 2023-24 Pac-12 Men's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Second Team, as voted on by the media. The preseason all-conference squad was unveiled by the conference office Tuesday morning ahead of Pac-12 Men's Basketball Media Day in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
 
Aimaq, a 6-foot-11 sixth-year senior from Vancouver, British Columbia, was the 2021 Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year, 2021 and 2022 WAC Defensive Player of the Year, and a two-time All-WAC first-team selection in two years played at Utah Valley previously under Cal's first-year head coach Mark Madsen. He reunited with Madsen this past offseason when he transferred to Cal from Texas Tech, where he averaged 11.1 points and 7.9 rebounds over just 11 games played – due to injury – in the 2022-23 season.
 
Aimaq has recorded 1,178 points (12.5 PPG), 1,005 rebounds (10.7 RPG), 102 blocks (1.1 BPG) and 77 double-doubles – the seventh most among active players in the country at the end of the 2022-23 campaign – through four seasons and 94 career games played. He proved to be a force under Madsen's guidance at Utah Valley as he led the nation with 15.0 RPG in the 2020-21 season, becoming the first Division I player to average over 15.0 rebounds in a season in over 40 years.
 
Aimaq and the Golden Bears will open the 2023-24 season on Nov. 6 in Berkeley against St. Thomas (Minn.), one of four consecutive home games over an 11-day period to start the campaign.
 
The full preseason all-conference team can be viewed below.
 
2023-24 Pac-12 Men's Basketball Preseason Media All-Conference Team
First Team
Oumar Ballo, Arizona
Adem Bona, UCLA
Keion Brooks Jr., Washington
Branden Carlson, Utah
Isaiah Collier, USC
N'Faly Dante, Oregon
Tristan da Silva, Colorado
Boogie Ellis, USC
Spencer Jones, Stanford
KJ Simpson, Colorado
 
Second Team
Fardaws Aimaq, California
Kylan Boswell, Arizona
Kobe Johnson, USC
Caleb Love, Arizona
Jordan Pope, Oregon State
 
Honorable Mention (votes from 5-or-more members of media)
Kwame Evans Jr., Oregon
Pelle Larsson, Arizona
Aday Mara, UCLA
Cody Williams, Colorado
 
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