COLLEGE

Fearne played college basketball at Western Wisconsin Technical College during the 1993–94 season.

He then played the 1994–95 season at Mid-State Technical College where he earned a associate’s degree.

Fearne transferred to Mayville State University in Mayville, North Dakota where he played his final two seasons of college eligibility.

During his time at Mayville State, Fearne was part of the Comets program during a stretch that produced conference titles and multiple trips to the NAIA national tournament, with the 1995–96 team winning the NDCAC conference championship and returning to the NAIA national tournament for the first time since 1962 while finishing 15–10 overall and 10–2 in conference play.

Mayville State followed that with another title run in 1996–97, when the Comets won consecutive conference championships and consecutive trips to the NAIA national tournament for the first time in school history, finishing 18–11 overall and 9–3 in the NDCAC while receiving votes in national polls and ranking among the NAIA leaders in team defense and free-throw percentage.

After completing his playing eligibility, Fearne remained with the Mayville State program as a student coach in 1997–98, a season in which the Comets went 23–7 overall and 11–1 in conference, put together a 17-game winning streak, climbed as high as No. 3 in the national polls, and advanced to the elite eight of the NAIA national tournament.

Fearne graduated from Mayville State in 1997 with a degree in Business Administration, adding to the associate’s degree he earned at Mid-State Technical College during the 1994–95 season.

AWARDS

As head coach:
- NBL Coach of the Year (2015)
- 2× QBL champion (2007, 2009)
- 2× QBL Coach of the Year (2006, 2007)

COACHING HISTORY

For four seasons Fearne was the head coach of the Cairns Marlins (2006-09) in the Queensland State League. In 2006 and 2007, he earned Queensland Basketball League Coach of the Year honours. In 2007 and 2009, he helped the Marlins capture the league title. In 2007, he guided the Marlins to the Australian Basketball Association National Championship.

After the Cairns Taipans entered into finanical recivership in 2010, they began looking for a young coach who would help rebuild the team (and come in at a cheap price tag), enter Aaron Fearne. Fearne, who had been an assistant with the team for seven seasons (2011-08) was hired as a stop gap solution during dire financial times but as a result of his success, went on to coach the squad for nine seasons. He coached 264 games during his time in Cairns, guiding them to three appearances in the NBL playoffs.

In 2011, he led the team to an appearance in the NBL Finals. In 2015, he coached the Taipans to a record 21 wins and another appearance in the league finals while garnering NBL Coach of the Year honours.

In 2018, Fearne was named head coach of New Zealand’s U-17 national team.