2023-24 Men's Basketball Roster
Biography
Accolades
- WAC Player of the Year (2020-21)
- 2x WAC Defensive Player of the Year (2020-21, 2021-22)
- 2x All-WAC First Team (2020-21, 2021-22)
- 2x WAC All-Defensive Team (2020-21, 2021-22)
- 2x Lou Henson All-America Team (2020-21, 2021-22)
- 2x Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award finalist (2020-21, 2021-22)
- 2x Lefty Driesell Defensive All-America Team (2020-21, 2021-22)
- 2x Lefty Driesell Defensive Player of the Year Award finalist (2020-21, 2021-22)
- 2x NABC All-District 6 First Team (2021-22)
- USBWA All-District VIII Team (2021-22)
- WAC All-Newcomer Team (2020-21)
- Riley Wallace Award (2020-21)
- WAC Joe Kearney Award (2020-21)
- 2x Lute Olson National Player of the Week
- 8x WAC Player of the Week
- Pac-12 Player of the Week (Nov. 20-26, 2023)
- Preseason All-Pac-12 Second Team (2023-24)
Media
After Cal
- Signed professional contract with Szolnoki Olajbányász of the Hungarian League
- Played for both the Sacramento Kings & Denver Nuggets throughout 2024 NBA Summer League
At Cal
2023-24 (Graduate)
- Produced one of the most dominant rebounding seasons in school history in his lone season as a Golden Bear
- Led the Pac-12 & ranked seventh nationally with 11.0 rebounds per game
- One of six Golden Bears ever to average 11.0 RPG in a season & the first since Mark McNamara in 1981-82
- Grabbed 351 total rebounds, the third most in a season in school history & the most by a Cal player in 51 years since Ansley Truitt's program-record 382 in 1971-72
- One of six major-conference players to average a double-double in the 2023-24 season (14.5Â PPG, 11.0 RPG)
- Of the six major-conference players to average a double-double, was one of only two averaging at least 14.5 PPG & 11.0 RPG, joining Purdue's Zach Edey, the consensus National Player of the Year
- Tallied 19 double-doubles; one shy of Cal's single-season record & the most by a Golden Bear in the Pac-12 era
- 11 of his 19 double-doubles came in Pac-12 play
- Started all 32 games & averaged 32.1 minutes per game; shot .464/.302/.650 for the season
- Third on the team with 68 assists (2.1 APG); had five-plus assists in five games, including a career-high eight at USC (Jan. 3)
- Four 20-point efforts, including a season-high 24 in a double-overtime loss at Butler (Dec. 9)
- Season-high 20 rebounds to go along with 15 points, five assists & three blocks in overtime win vs. USC (Feb. 7)
- Named Pac-12 Player of the Week after averaging 18.3 PPG & 14.3 RPG in a three-game span vs. UTEP, Tulane & San Diego State
- Finished his collegiate career with 1,633 points (13.1 PPG)Â & 1,347 rebounds (10.8 RPG)
- One of four transfer signees who made up Cal's No. 8-ranked transfer class (On3) in the 2023 offseason
- Cal's first signee out of the transfer portal under head coach Mark Madsen
Before Cal
2022-23 (R-Sr.) (Texas Tech)
- Limited to 11 games played due to injury in his lone season with the Red Raiders
- Averaged 11.1 points & 7.9 rebounds in 27.5 minutes played per game
- Recorded three double-doubles, including a game at No. 3 Kansas where he had 18 rebounds & 13 points
- Had back-to-back double-doubles with 14 points & 12 rebounds at West Virginia (Feb. 18), followed by 19 points & 10 boards at Oklahoma (Feb. 21)
- Tied a season high of 19 points against TCU (Feb. 25)
- Made his Tech debut at Texas (Jan. 14) with 12 points & five boards after missing the first 16 games of the season with an injury
- Shot 44.3% (47 of 106) from the field & 74.2% (23 of 31) at the free throw line
2021-22 (R-Jr.) (Utah Valley)
- Repeated as the WAC Defensive Player of the Year & an All-WAC First Team selection
- Ranked second nationally with 13.6 rebounds per game, third nationally with 27 double-doubles & averaged 18.9 points per game
- His 27 double-doubles tied Pascal Siakam for the most in WAC single-season history & were tied for the fifth most in NCAA single-season history
- Started all 32 contests & played 34.4 minutes per game
- Shot 49.0% (222 of 453) from the field, 72.3% at the free throw line (141 of 195) & 43.5% (20 of 46) from behind the arc
- The increased production from 3-point range came after attempting just two 3s in his first two collegiate seasons
- Scored a career-high 34 points &Â had 14 rebounds in an overtime win over Pepperdine (Nov. 15)
- Had a season-best 22 rebounds &Â added 24 points in an overtime win over No. 12 BYU (Dec. 1)
- Totaled 40 blocked shots that included five against Tarleton State (Jan. 1)
- Repeated as a finalist for the Lou Henson National Player of the Year & Lefty Driesell Defensive Player of the Year awards
- Named to the NABC All-District Team for the second straight season & earned a spot on the USBWA All-District Team
- Was a five-time WAC Player of the Week & two-time Lute Olson National Player of the Week
- Underwent the 2022 NBA Draft process following the conclusion of the collegiate season
2020-21 (R-So.) (Utah Valley)
- Named the WAC Player of the Year & Defensive Player of the Year in a dominant season for the Wolverines
- Led the nation in rebounding at 15.0 boards per game, becoming the first player in 40 years to average 15 or more rebounds per game
- Also averaged 13.9 points & 1.7 blocks in 30.5 minutes played per game; started all 22 games
- Shot 48.5% (114 of 235) from the field
- Broke the Utah Valley single-game record with a career-high 25 rebounds (12 offensive) against Dixie State (Feb. 13)
- Pulled down 20 or more rebounds three times & had 15-plus rebounds in 12 games
- Registered 14 double-doubles in 22 games
- Scored a season-high 29 points to go along with 14 rebounds, four blocks & two steals against Seattle U (Jan. 15)
- Posted 27 points & 20 rebounds against Wyoming (Dec. 12)
- Made 10-plus free throws in three games, including a 13-of-15 effort against Seattle U (Jan. 15)
- Recipient of the 2021 Riley Wallace Award, presented annually to the most impactful transfer in NCAA Division I basketball
- Named a finalist for the 2020-21 Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award, presented annually to the top mid-major player in NCAA Division I basketball
- Named to the Lefty Driesell Defensive All-America Team after being a finalist for the Lefty Driesell Defensive Player of the Year Award
- Earned the 2021 Western Athletic Conference Joe Kearney Award as the conference's top male student-athlete
- Collected further honors including NABC All-District Team, All-WAC First Team, WAC All-Defensive Team, WAC All-Newcomer Team
- Was a three-time WAC Player of the Week
2019-20 (R-Fr.) (Utah Valley)
- Redshirted during his first season at Utah Valley
2018-19 (Fr.) (Mercer)
- Played in 29 games & earned five starts in his rookie collegiate season
- Averaged 5.0 points & a team-leading 5.3 rebounds in 14.9 minutes played per game
- Shot 51.7% from the field, connecting on 62 of 120 shots
- Pulled down 10-plus rebounds three times, including a season-high 13 against Wofford (Jan. 31)
- Scored a season-high 14 points on 7-of-14 shooting against Georgia Southern (Dec. 8)
High School
- Graduated from Steveston-London Secondary School (Richmond, British Columbia)Â in spring 2018
- Won two city titles &Â three district titles at Steveston-London
- Earned city MVP & district MVP honors three times in his prep career
Personal
- Born on January 6, 1999
- Son of Faramarz & Shahxlaz
- Has one brother, Faisal
- Is of Afghan descent; parents Faramarz (father) & Shahxlaz (mother) left Afghanistan during the war against the Soviet Union in the 1980s
- Follows a pescatarian diet
Statistics
Season Statistics
No statistics available for this season.
There are no statistics available for this player.
