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Men's Basketball Adds Grad Transfer Cole Bajema
4/25/2023 10:06 AM | Men's Basketball
The Utah men’s basketball team adds depth to its backcourt with the addition of Pac-12 veteran Cole Bajema.
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah head men's basketball coach Craig Smith announced the addition of grad transfer Cole Bajema for the upcoming 2023-24 season, adding depth and veteran play to the backcourt.
"We are excited to welcome Cole to the Runnin' Utes family," said Smith on the addition of Bajema. "A veteran guard with a proven track record of success in the Pac-12, Cole brings size, length and versatility to our program. He is a skilled scorer who can also defend multiple positions. We are confident that Cole will make an immediate impact on our program both on and off the floor."
In his seven career games against Utah, Bajema averaged 8.1 points and 2.0 rebounds with a solid .583 shooting clip from 3-point range and .528 clip from the field. He's recently had success against the Utes, averaging 12.5 points in his last four games while knocking down 13-of-21 (.619) from beyond the arc.
Bajema started in 31-of-32 games for the Huskies his senior year (2022-23) while averaging 8.8 points and 4.2 rebounds. The 6-7 guard reached double-figures 14 times – including five games where he scored a season-high 16 points. He pulled down a career-high 11 boards early on in the season against North Florida and was just shy of his first-career double-double with seven points as well.
As a junior, the Lynden, Wash., product saw action in all 32 games coming off the bench for UW and averaged 5.4 points and 1.9 rebounds in a reserve role. The dynamic guard also made his first-career start that season against Utah Valley at home before scoring a career-high 18 points against Colorado on the road hitting 6-of-7 from 3-point range. He also saw action in almost every game during the 2020-21 COVID-19 ridden season, seeing court time in 24-of-26 games played by Washington.
Bajema started his collegiate career with the Michigan Wolverines before moving to Montlake. While in Ann Arbor, he made 10 appearances in a limited reserve role while making his collegiate debut against Elon in the season-opener.
The Pacific Northwest native was a prolific scorer during his prep career, raking in multiple player of the year, all-state, conference MVP, all-conference and state all-tournament honors. He led Lynden Christian High School to a state championship his junior year after scoring 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting with eight rebounds in the title game.
He graduated from LHCS as the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,876 career points while also taking up the top-two spots in the school's single-season scoring leader list. In his final year, Bajema averaged 24 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists while leading the Lyncs to a perfect 13-0 record in league play.
Bajema comes from an athletic family with his mom, Beth, having played basketball at Calvin College while his older sisters, Coryn and Kara, played college soccer and volleyball, respectively. Coryn was a standout on the women's soccer team at South Carolina (2012-16) while Kara was a two-time All-American at Washington (2016-19).
Bajema is the third newcomer to join the Runnin' Utes program for the upcoming season, joining Lawson Lovering (Central HS / Colorado) and Hunter Erickson (BYU / SLCC).
For the latest news and information on the Runnin' Utes men's basketball program, fans can stay connected online at www.UtahUtes.com and on social media by following @UtahMBB on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
"We are excited to welcome Cole to the Runnin' Utes family," said Smith on the addition of Bajema. "A veteran guard with a proven track record of success in the Pac-12, Cole brings size, length and versatility to our program. He is a skilled scorer who can also defend multiple positions. We are confident that Cole will make an immediate impact on our program both on and off the floor."
In his seven career games against Utah, Bajema averaged 8.1 points and 2.0 rebounds with a solid .583 shooting clip from 3-point range and .528 clip from the field. He's recently had success against the Utes, averaging 12.5 points in his last four games while knocking down 13-of-21 (.619) from beyond the arc.
Bajema started in 31-of-32 games for the Huskies his senior year (2022-23) while averaging 8.8 points and 4.2 rebounds. The 6-7 guard reached double-figures 14 times – including five games where he scored a season-high 16 points. He pulled down a career-high 11 boards early on in the season against North Florida and was just shy of his first-career double-double with seven points as well.
As a junior, the Lynden, Wash., product saw action in all 32 games coming off the bench for UW and averaged 5.4 points and 1.9 rebounds in a reserve role. The dynamic guard also made his first-career start that season against Utah Valley at home before scoring a career-high 18 points against Colorado on the road hitting 6-of-7 from 3-point range. He also saw action in almost every game during the 2020-21 COVID-19 ridden season, seeing court time in 24-of-26 games played by Washington.
Bajema started his collegiate career with the Michigan Wolverines before moving to Montlake. While in Ann Arbor, he made 10 appearances in a limited reserve role while making his collegiate debut against Elon in the season-opener.
The Pacific Northwest native was a prolific scorer during his prep career, raking in multiple player of the year, all-state, conference MVP, all-conference and state all-tournament honors. He led Lynden Christian High School to a state championship his junior year after scoring 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting with eight rebounds in the title game.
He graduated from LHCS as the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,876 career points while also taking up the top-two spots in the school's single-season scoring leader list. In his final year, Bajema averaged 24 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists while leading the Lyncs to a perfect 13-0 record in league play.
Bajema comes from an athletic family with his mom, Beth, having played basketball at Calvin College while his older sisters, Coryn and Kara, played college soccer and volleyball, respectively. Coryn was a standout on the women's soccer team at South Carolina (2012-16) while Kara was a two-time All-American at Washington (2016-19).
Bajema is the third newcomer to join the Runnin' Utes program for the upcoming season, joining Lawson Lovering (Central HS / Colorado) and Hunter Erickson (BYU / SLCC).
For the latest news and information on the Runnin' Utes men's basketball program, fans can stay connected online at www.UtahUtes.com and on social media by following @UtahMBB on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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