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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah State forward Justin Bean has declared for the 2022 NBA draft, according to a tweet Wednesday morning.
Bean will sign with the same agency as former Utah State guard Sam Merrill and will work out in Chicago in preparation for the draft. The senior had one year of eligibility remaining due to the pandemic but is 25 years old and has been on the team since the 2017-2018 season.
"The last 5 years have been incredible," he said. "Coming to Logan as a walk-on, I had no idea what to expect. You welcomed me with open arms and fueled me every day to become the best basketball player I could be."
Bean had an illustrious college career where he went from a walk-on to star forward for the Aggies. The Moore, Oklahoma, native is considered one of the greatest hustle players in Utah State history and finished his collegiate career second in program history for rebounds (1,027) and double-doubles (46), and fifth in steals (163).
He'll also go down as one of the greatest offensive forwards in program history. He finished 13th in field goals made (557) and 17th in total points (1,445), according to USUStats.com.
"What an amazing example of what college basketball is supposed to be all about," head coach Ryan Odom said following a loss to Colorado State on March 10. "Great student, great family man, loves his immediate family — he cherishes his wife — he loves his teammates. He comes to work in our program every single day and he sets the example of how a Utah State player should behave."
The 2021-22 season was Bean's best of his career, where he led the Aggies with 17.6 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals. He was named to the All-Mountain West second team, All-MW defensive team, and helped Utah State earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in year's past.
Bean, however, made an impact in Logan long before his senior year. After committing to the Aggies during his church mission in 2017, Bean came to campus and redshirted the 2017-18 season.
Bean became a key role player as a freshman during the 2018-19 season and won the 2018 Blue and White scrimmage dunk contest. He averaged 4.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game and helped the Aggies win the Mountain West regular season and tournament championships to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
— Justin Bean (@justinbean34) March 23, 2022
As a sophomore, Bean averaged 11.9 points and 10.5 rebounds, and received All-MW third team honors. The Aggies, once again, won the Mountain West Tournament and qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
In Bean's junior season, he averaged 11.4 points and 7.7 rebounds, which earned him second team All-MW honors as he helped the Aggies qualify for its third-straight NCAA Tournament.
Bean looks to become the third Aggies player drafted into the NBA in as many years. Sam Merrill was the 60th pick in the 2020 draft and Neemias Queta went 43rd overall in 2021.
