Cole Bajema committed to his dream school Saturday over a host of other power conference schools knocking on the forward’s door.
The name Cole Bajema won’t resonate with even the most die-hard recruiting fanatics.
The small forward likely won’t appear on a Top 100 list for the Class of 2019 on your most trusted recruitment tracking website.
But the Michigan Wolverines could be delighted to have him down the road.
Bajema committed to the Wolverines on Saturday, announcing his decision through the preferred platform of Twitter.
Go Blue! pic.twitter.com/FrIBfJ2h8z
— Cole Bajema (@colebajema22) August 4, 2018
His 247 Sports profile lists Bajema at 6-foot-7, 175 pounds, without any rankings or stars attached to his name. He has the looks of a long, lanky forward who might bring more to the table than his frame suggests.
The story of how he ended up at Michigan is an interesting one. Bajema grew up in Washington and played his high school ball in the state, seemingly making him a shoo-in when the Huskies offered him a scholarship in July.
According to ML Live, however, Bajema lived in Michigan during his early years and quickly became a Wolverines fan. The ability to play for them fulfills a lifelong dream.
While stats are hard to come by, Bajema reportedly tore it up during major events in July, a pivotal evaluation period for the next year’s recruiting class. Suddenly, he went from having no major offers to offers from Washington, Oregon State, and even last year’s top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, Virginia.
Bajema could stand to add some muscle over his senior year, but he has displayed elite shooting abilities, as well as a surprising proficiency in ball-handling considering his size.
Michigan does have another small forward on the way in 2019, with national top 50 recruit Jalen Wilson committed to the team.
Wilson may be ready to go sooner, but Cole Bajema could continue his assent and become a major steal in the Class of 2019.