NCAA Basketball: 10 teams who should target Michigan transfer Cole Bajema

Gonzaga Bulldogs

Considering they target as many transfers as possible, it’s no surprise that the Bulldogs would reach out to a local product. Gonzaga is a preseason top-3 team for next season, assuming that Filip Petrusev, Corey Kispert and Joel Ayayi all return from the NBA Draft. With Kispert being a rising senior, the team will need a replacement at the wing who is also capable of shooting around 40% from deep.

The obvious concern with this potential fit is Bajema once again getting boxed out of the rotation. It would be no guarantee he’d get minutes in 2021-22, with incoming wing Julian Strawther expected to play a big role, along with the potential to land another transfer or top-tier recruit for the next class. The payoff could be huge if he develops nicely enough in a sit-out season, as many former Bulldogs who have gone through the process have done.

Oregon State Beavers

By the end of next season, Oregon State won’t have any of their five leading scorers from this past season. That includes All-Pac 12 forward Tres Tinkle and guards Ethan Thompson and Zach Reichle. They do have a pair of incoming wings for next season, including Nicholls State transfer
Warith Alatishe and Tariq Silver, one of the top JUCO prospects in the 2020 class.

The biggest thing Bajema has to consider in this process is playing for a head coach that is guaranteed to be around for at least two more seasons. That’s not the case with Coach Tinkle, who figures to be on the hot seat next season. For a sit-out transfer who just had to deal with a coaching change, that could be a negative recruiting pitch against Oregon State, even though they offer a potential starting role for a Pac-12 program.