TORONTO—From being named OUA and U SPORTS Rookie of the Year in 2022 to earning 2025-26 OUA Athlete of the Year honours, Toronto native Aaron Rhooms closed his chapter with the TMU Bold having cemented one of the most decorated legacies in Bold athletics history and earning one of the highest honours in the OUA.

The Athlete of the Year announcement was made during the OUA Honour Awards Banquet held on Wednesday, May 13, honouring Rhooms, a true force in OUA athletics, as his university career draws to a close.

Rhooms' final year in the blue and gold was nothing short of remarkable. He was named the 2025–26 U SPORTS Player of the Year, earned back-to-back OUA Player of the Year honours (2024–25, 2025–26), received consecutive U SPORTS men's basketball First Team All-Canadian selections (2024–25, 2025–26), and was recognized as the On the Record Male Athlete of the Year in consecutive years (2024-25, 2025-26). 

Throughout the 2025-26 season, he finished second in the OUA in scoring, averaging an impressive 22.0 per game, while shooting 50 per cent from the field on 376 attempts. He also recorded three 30-point performances and ranked among the OUA's top 10 three-pointers made, shooting 37 per cent from beyond the arc. He helped lead the Bold to secure an OUA Wilson Cup title and a fourth-place finish at the U SPORTS Final 8 national championships.

His impact on the TMU Bold men's basketball program will be everlasting. Rhooms leaves as the program's all-time leader in career three-pointers made (188), ranks second in all-time career points (1,990), third in all-time career steals (144) and recorded the second-most single-season three-pointers made in program history with 59 in 2024-25. 

Despite his time now coming to a close with TMU, his basketball journey continues. Rhooms is returning to the Edmonton Stingers for a third straight season in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). You can continue following his professional basketball career in the CEBL, with games available to stream on CBC Gem.