It has been a year to remember for Mohawk College student athlete Aminu Bello. Bello helped his college basketball team win the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) championship and it hasn’t stopped there. The CCAA has announced that Bello has been named their Collegiate Athlete of the Year across all sports in Canada. Just the fourth varsity athlete from Mohawk to win the distinction, Bello wasn’t expecting such an award, but will certainly take it.

“You just go out there and play the best you can and just try to win,” Bello said. “It’s not something you shoot for in the beginning of the season, it’s just something that kind of happens and you take it as it is.”

Bello was a force to be reckoned with on the hard court all season long as he averaged a team-best 24.4 points per game and went off for 32 points in the teams gold medal game against the Mount Royal Cougars of Calgary. Reaching this level of success has not come overnight for Bello and he credits his past coaches in shaping him into the disciplined athlete he is today. He led the league in field goal percentage and free throw accuracy, connecting on 84 of 99 attempts during the season.

“My basketball coaches from high school kind of set the building blocks for my work ethic, getting me in the gym and working on my game; they were kind of the backbone of my basketball career at a young age. I would like to thank them.”

A second year Urban Regional Planning student, this is Bello’s final year of eligibility for varsity sports, but is confident that his basketball career is not over yet and has already made plans for a future in basketball.

“At this point right now I got offered a job out west in a city outside of Edmonton. There are some semi-pro leagues in that area, so I am looking into if I can manage both working and playing at the level; if that can happen than I will pursue it.”

He stressed that his immediate future in basketball involves having one in his hand, not a clipboard.

“I’m a strong believer that coaching comes with age. At this stage right now I still feel I have some playing years left in me. Later down the line when I have more experience behind me, coaching it is definitely something I might consider.”

Bello is also on route to graduate from Mohawk College in the spring, and should have no problem, as CCAA reward recipients must maintain a high standard in academics.