WHAT IT MEANS: Utah Lands 2019 Rivals150 Prospect Bajema

The Runnin’ Utes landed their second transfer commitment of the 2023 offseason on Tuesday night with the announcement from Cole Bajema. The 6-foot-7 and 190 pound forward will have one year remaining after three season at Washington and one at Michigan.

Bajema made his announcement on Twitter:

The former Rivals150 prospect was No. 98 overall and a four-star recruit. Coming out of high school in 2019, the Lynden, Washington native had offers from Michigan, Washington, and Oregon State. He averaged a career high of 8.8 points per game during the 2022-23 season.

What Utah is getting

Bajema is a career 36.1% three-point shooter and on average over half of his shot attempts are from beyond the arc. He has shot only 2.2% better from inside the arc during his career, so it’s fair at this point in his career to call him a three-point specialist on the offensive end. By increasing Bajema’s usage rate, Utah could unlock a potent scorer — they won’t hesitate to have him let it fly from deep.

Before last season, Bajema never averaged more than 20 minutes a game. He’ll now head into a situation where he’ll get plenty of rotation minutes and also be relied on as a key offensive threat.

He was once a Rivals150 prospect for a reason. Can he begin to realize some of that potential during his one remaining year at Utah? Time will tell.

What this means for the class

Bajema joins center Lawson Lovering and guard Hunter Erickson who have already signed with Utah. The Runnin’ Utes now have four open scholarships. The intention remains to fill those spots through the portal. While size and shooting remain priorities, all eyes are on GCU guard Chance McMillan, who would be the speedy and athletic point guard the Utes have been missing.