Inside The Huskies

Bajema Finds New Team, Joins Pac-12 Rival

The 6-foot-7 forward entered the transfer portal after spending three seasons at the UW.

Dan Raley

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The University of Washington basketball team hasn't seen the last of Cole Bajema, but he'll be wearing a bright red uniform the next time he launches a shot at Alaska Airlines Arena.

After three and a half weeks in the transfer portal, the 6-foot-7 forward from Lynden, Washington, revealed on Tuesday night he'll join Pac-12 rival Utah.

Bajema, a 30-game starter and 8.5-point scorer this past season, is one of seven Huskies to leave Mike Hopkins' program over the past six weeks.

The Utes become the third college basketball program for the long-range shooter, who began his career at Michigan and played the past three seasons for the UW.

The Utes certainly know what they're getting in Bajema, who turned in some of his most productive outings against them.

In the lone meeting for the teams this past season, he scored 13 points on 4-for-7 shooting in an 86-61 loss in Salt Lake City.

The year before, Bajema faced Utah three times. He provided 16 points on 5-for-9 shooting in helping the Huskies to an 82-70 victory in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament.

During the regular season in 2021-22, he scored 6 points in a 77-73 overtime victory over Utah at home and had 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting in a 74-68 win over the Utes on the road.

Bajema, who slumped badly from the perimeter to close out this season, no doubt was in need of new surroundings. He brings a 35.5 percent 3-point shooter to his new team. 

 

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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