Sean Bairstow drives to the basket. Photo by Tina Lerohl
LOGAN – This is part two of a three-part series previewing the Utah State men’s basketball position groups. The first part took a magnifying glass to the Aggie guards, this one will open the book on the wings of the team.
As explained in part one, finding a true dividing line between what is a “guard” and “wing” is not really worth the effort. So the arbitrary line chosen was that guards are those listed as a guard and are listed as being under 6-foot-3. The wings group will consist of the remaining players listed at guard (this time all the 6-4 and taller ones) along with the forwards of the team.
RJ Eytle-Rock (6-4, 5th-year Sr.)
2021-22 Averages: 24.1 minutes (31 games, 30 starts) | 7.8 points | 2.3 rebounds | 1.9 assists | 0.5 steals | 0.1 blocks
2021-22 Shooting Splits: 41.1 FG% | 34.4 3PT% | 81.0 FT%
After averaging 14.3 points per game his final season at UMBC, Eytle-Rock struggled to find a similar level of success when he followed Ryan Odom to Utah State. His shooting percentages dropped (59.1 True Shooting % to 53.7) and his scoring also dropped down to 7.8, his lowest since his freshman season. In three postseason games (two conference tournament games and the NIT game), Eytle-Rock started each time but did not play more than 19 minutes in any of the three contests and scored four total points.
It’s hard to say if those postseason games are any indication of less playing time, but his starting job appears to be safe. If he doesn’t play more like he did at UMBC, he may be a starter that doesn’t play volume minutes and instead yields time to the first guys off the bench. If he does return to his previous form it would be enormous for Utah State, who will be in need of good scoring this season after losing its top two scorers from last season (Justin Bean and Brandon Horvath). In any case, he’ll at least be counted on for some scoring and playmaking, but not too much.
Sean Bairstow (6-8, Sr.)
2021-22 Averages: 26.2 minutes (25 games, 18 starts) | 9.5 points | 2.7 rebounds | 1.4 assists | 0.6 steals | 0.3 blocks
2021-22 Shooting Splits: 51.6 FG% | 12.5 3PT% | 64.3 FT%
Last year Bairstow took the leap from a fringe rotation player to being key rotation player. He was fifth on the team in minutes and third in scoring. And if you exclude his first six games of the year, where he came off the bench as he rehabbed an injury, Bairstow averaged 10.3 points per game in 29.2 minutes per game.
The strength of Bairstow’s game is his ability to finish at the rim. Last year he ranked 23rd among all players in field goal percentage at the rim per Synergy Sports, making a staggering 74.7 percent of his shots right at the bucket. That number was a dramatic improvement from his 54.8 percent on attempts at the rim as a freshman and the 65.4 percent he made as a sophomore.
Despite improvements in some areas, Bairstow regressed last year in one huge area: 3-point shooting. In his first two seasons combined, Bairstow made 18-of-50 attempted threes, or 36.0 percent. In 2021-22, he went 6-for-48 (12.5 percent) which was the worst 3-point percentage among all NCAA players with as many attempts. If Bairstow is to make any further jumps in his collegiate career, his 3-point shooting will need to rise back to league average which would allow him to become a balanced scorer and capable of leading a team on offense.
Taylor Funk (6-8, Gr.)
2021-22 Averages: 36.1 minutes (28 games, 28 starts) | 13.2 points | 6.6 rebounds | 1.8 assists | 0.9 steals | 0.3 blocks
2021-22 Shooting Splits: 40.6 FG% | 37.3 3PT% | 87.0 FT%
Funk is a transfer from St. Joseph’s where he spent five seasons (one of which was a medical redshirt year), the final two of which he was a featured player in the rotation. In 2020-21 he averaged 17.4 points per game, which may be a better idea of what he can accomplish as an Aggie. Last year Funk had an uncharacteristic drop in his 2-point field goal percentage, falling from a career average of 57.5 percent to just 48.8 in 2021-22.
Inside the arc isn’t where Funk does his damage, though. His whole career he’s been a volume three-point shooter, averaging 6.5 threes attempted per game in 120 career appearances. In his last two seasons he had 7.3 downtown attempts per game and made 36.5 percent of those. Funk is one of 49 players who, in the last two seasons, attempted at least 350 triples while also making at least 36 percent of them.
Funk is willing to pull up anywhere on the court, no matter who is guarding him and isn’t afraid to shoot over a good contest. At 6-foot-8, there aren’t exactly many players who will block his shot and Funk knows that. Per Synergy Sports tracking data, Funk was T-9th among all players in guarded catch-and-shoot attempts per game last year.
Max Shulga (6-4, Jr.)
2021-22 Averages: 13.7 minutes (32 games, 2 starts) | 4.4 points | 2.1 rebounds | 1.0 assists | 0.7 steals |0.1 blocks
2021-22 Shooting Splits: 51.2 FG% | 45.0 3PT% | 77.6 FT%
If anyone is primed for a breakout season, Shulga has to be among them. He wormed his way into more minutes last year, playing single-digit minutes six times in his first eight games before averaging 15.7 the rest of the way. And this offseason has put a lot of work into becoming a reliable scorer. In the FIBA U20 European Championship, Shulga led his Ukrainian side with 18.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists. Among all participants in that tournament Shulga was the only one to finish top 10 in both points and assists. Furthermore, Shulga led all scorers in the Blue/White Scrimmage in early October, tallying 18 points.
Minutes will be hard to come by though. Eytle-Rock and Bairstow will be entrenched in the two wing spots with big minutes going to both. If Shulga is going to rise much beyond the 13.7 minutes he averaged last season he’ll have to take them from established rotation players.
Zee Hamoda (6-7, So.)
2021-22 Averages: 7.9 minutes (28 games, 0 starts) | 2.6 points | 1.1 rebounds | 0.5 assists | 0.3 steals | 0.2 blocks
2021-22 Shooting Splits: 36.4 FG% | 24.4 3PT% | 60.0 FT%
There’s a top-level scorer hidden in Hamoda that is slowly showing itself. The first-ever Division I basketball player from Bahrain, Hamoda is a smooth athlete with length. Right now, though, he’s working to harness that and is making good progress. Last year he flashed finishing ability, making 62.5 percent of his shots at the rim but his slight 170-lbs frame hasn’t allowed him to force his way to the rim yet.
As a shooter, Hamoda is still very much a work in progress. He made 24.4 percent of his threes last year (41 attempts) and in the Blue/White Scrimmage he went 1-of-4 to pretty much match last year’s average. But in that same scrimmage, Hamoda was fourth on the team in scoring with 15 points.
This year will likely be another development year with Hamoda seeing some minutes, but not being a key rotation player. He’s third or fourth in his spot on the depth chart (depending on if he’s viable as a shooting guard) and he’ll likely only see one or two stints per game which will put him right around last year’s average of 7.9 minutes per game.
Landon Brenchley (6-4, R-Fr.)
2021-22 Averages: None (Redshirted)
2021-22 Shooting Splits: None (Redshirted)
Brenchley was USU’s only redshirt player last year after returning from a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He’s a product of Cache Valley basketball, having played for Ridgeline. As a junior and senior he played a crucial role on the team, averaging 19.0 points as a junior and 24.1 points as a senior. He also added 8.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game as a senior.
Unfortunately, not being a dynamic athlete and lacking the length to be a true forward, Brenchley’s collegiate ambitions are limited and he came to USU as a preferred walk-on. He’s unlikely to play a major role on the court for this team and will only set foot on the court during garbage-time situations.