AFTER emerging as one of the stronger young Australian basketball players in the world last year, Sean Bairstow showed it was no fluke with another terrific season with the Utah State Aggies in the NCAAM in 2022/23.

Bairstow had somewhat of a breakout season in his junior campaign, boosting his numbers in a big way as he emerged as a key figure on Utah State’s roster. There was plenty of speculation surrounding whether or not he would be able to back up these efforts, but Bairstow continued to improve again, looking steadier as an offensive player.

The Brisbane native jumped from 3.7 to 9.5 points per game last year, and took that number up again further in his senior campaign. Bairstow averaged 10.3 points per game, taking more shots, although his efficiency did take a hit.

The guard was given more responsibility during the 2022/23 season, both in terms of court time and field goals attempted. The Aggies had more confidence in his shotmaking ability and he became a bigger part of the team’s offensive set.

The most impressive step forward taken by Bairstow during his senior season was the addition of a three-point shot to his game. Despite emerging as an offensive threat in his junior year, he only managed to make 12.5 per cent of his shots from behind the arc.

That number soared up to 38.6 per cent in the season that just wrapped, in a terrific showing of progression. His shooting mechanics looked much better and it resulted in a massive boost in efficiency in this domain.

Another area that yielded significant growth for Bairstow was his rebounding numbers. He brings plenty of height to the guard position at six-foot-eight, and is often matched up on shorter players.

The 2022/23 season saw Bairstow take full advantage of this, and fly in third man up to secure first touch. It added another dimension to his game and made him a more consistent contributor as a result. He was able to reach double-digits in the rebounding column on a number of occasions, and should continue to chip in on the glass in his final campaign.

Bairstow entered the transfer portal ahead of the upcoming season, with one more year left to play at collegiate level thanks to the COVID pandemic giving most players an extra season. He recently signed with VCU, where Aggies’ coach Ryan Odom recently signed, where the team will be eager to see his progression continue.