LOGAN, Utah – Utah State men's basketball officially opened its 2022-23 season as USU held its first practice inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Tuesday. The Aggies, under the direction of second-year head coach Ryan Odom, are made up of 12 returners and four newcomers and took part in conditioning and various drills during the initial practice.
 
"To be able to be out here with one another is really special," Odom said. "It's a new year for all of us and a new opportunity both for individual players and collectively for our team. We feel really blessed to be able to get out here. We're excited for the season to start."
 
In his first season in Logan, Odom led the Aggies to their fourth-straight NCAA postseason berth as USU hosted Oregon as an at-large seed in the opening round of the NIT. Odom's 18 victories during the 2021-22 season marked the fourth-most by a first-year head coach in Utah State history. Utah State's offense ranked second in the league in scoring (73.4 ppg) and field goal percentage (.476), while leading the Mountain West and ranking fifth nationally in assists per game (18.0). The Aggies were also tops in the MW with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.44.
 
Utah State returns eight letterwinners from last season, including three starters in fifth-year senior guard RJ Eytle-Rock, senior guard Sean Bairstow and senior guard Rylan Jones.
 
"It's fun," Bairstow said. "I got to get up and down a lot with the boys. It's always fun to play five-on-five and that type of stuff. We added a lot of new sets we're going to be running through the year. It's exciting. I'm looking forward to it."
 
Utah State welcomes four newcomers to the 2022-23 squad, including three transfers in sixth-year forward Dan Akin (UMBC/Cal Baptist), graduate forward Taylor Funk (Saint Joseph's) and sophomore center Isaac Johnson (Oregon). The Aggies also bring in freshman Mason Falslev, native of Benson, Utah, and Sky View High School graduate.
 
Utah State will hold an open Blue-White scrimmage on Friday, Oct. 7, at 7 p.m. The team will be signing autographs following the scrimmage. Utah State opens the 2022-23 campaign with a three-game homestand, hosting in-state rival Utah Valley on Monday, Nov. 7, Bradley on Friday, Nov. 11, and Santa Clara on Monday, Nov. 14.
 
Season tickets for the 2022-23 men's basketball season are already on sale and can be purchased by visiting www.utahstateaggies.com or by calling the Utah State ticket office at 1-888-USTATE-1.
 
Utah State men's basketball news and information is available on Facebook (facebook.com/usumensbasketball), on Twitter (@usubasketball) and on Instagram (@usubasketball). Fans can also get USU men's basketball highlights on YouTube (youtube.com/utahstateathletics). Aggie fans can follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter (@usuathletics), on Facebook (facebook.com/usuathletics) or on Instagram (@usuathletics).
 
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