RICHMOND, Va. – VCU officially welcomed Utah State transfers Sean Bairstow (Brisbane, Australia) and Max Shulga (Kyiv, Ukraine), Rams Head Coach Ryan Odom announced Thursday.
 
Both players were starters and pivotal members of Odom's Utah State team that finished 26-9 last season and reached the NCAA Tournament. They also helped the Aggies to an NIT appearance in 2021-22. Bairstow will be a graduate transfer and will have one year of eligibility remaining. Shulga will have two years of eligibility available.
 
"It's really exciting for us, our staff, coming from Utah State to announce that Max and Sean are joining us here. Two dynamite players and even better people," Odom said.
 
A 6-foot-8 wing, Bairstow broke out under Odom the past two seasons in Logan, Utah. Bairstown started all 35 games last season as a senior and averaged a career-high 10.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, while shooting .473 from the floor, including .386 (32-of-86) from 3-point range. He topped double figures 19 times, including a season-high 20 points in a victory over New Mexico on Feb. 1.
 
Bairstow averaged 9.5 points and 2.7 rebounds per game in 2021-22 as a junior. He is a veteran of 117 collegiate games, including 54 starts. He was also previously a member of Australia's U19 National Team.
 
"Sean was starter every game for us last year at Utah State and was a very important player for us at that three/four spot. He did kind of both, but mainly the three. He can really pass the ball. He's excellent at pick-and-roll. He's become a reliable shooter from the perimeter and a reliable defender and rebounder. His experience and understanding of our system is going to be extremely important for our team going forward. We're thrilled to have him join VCU," Odom said.
 
Shulga also played his most productive collegiate ball under Odom. Last season, the 6-foot-4 guard supplied the Aggies with 11.9 points, 4.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game, while shooting .428 from the field, including .364 (55-of-151) from beyond the arc. He recorded 19 double-digit scoring games in 2022-23, including a career-high 29 in a win over Air Force on Feb. 14.
 
In all, Shulga played three seasons at Utah State, where he saw action in 90 games, including 34 starts. Shulga is a 37 percent (79-of-211) 3-point shooter in his collegiate career. Shulga has logged significant experience for Ukraine's National Teams. He was a member of the country's U18 squad at the 2019 FIBA European Championships and averaged 13.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists in the tournament.
 
"Max is a dynamite player who has worked extremely hard in his career. He's an elite pick and roll player. He's a great shooter as well. And he's an excellent passer as well. He's somebody that is really looking to get his teammates involved, and he's a good ball handler. He's somebody who has come up big, as has Sean, in big moments for us at Utah State, and certainly that experience he had over the last two years is going to benefit us here at VCU," said Odom.
 
Bairstow and Shulga join previously announced signees Joe Bamisile (Chesterfield, Va./Oklahoma), Jason Nelson (Richmond, Va./Richmond) and Roosevelt Wheeler (Richmond, Va./Louisville).