New Western Kentucky men’s basketball head coach Hank Plona picked up his first commitment for the 2024-25 season on Tuesday as Niagara University guard Braxton Bayless announced his plan to transfer to WKU.
“Everything I’ve done so far is because of blessings and for the people I love,” Bayless wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) social media account. “This last chapter will be special.”
Bayless has one season of eligibility remaining.
Bayless, who previously played for Plona at Indian Hills (Iowa) Community College, is a 6-foot-2 guard from Ankeny, Iowa. This past season at Niagara, Bayless led the Purple Eagles in scoring at 11.5 points per game despite starting just once. Bayless scored a season-high 22 points against Iona on Jan. 7 and scored 20 or more points four times during the season. Bayless also led Niagara with 33 steals. In that 75-73 win against Iona, Bayless hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to win the game.
As a junior during the 2022-23 season, Bayless played in 30 games, starting 20, and averaged 5.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per contest. He also led Niagara with 26 steals.
Bayless helped Indian Hills to a 27-6 overall record in 2021-22 and to a 53-11 record in his two seasons there. He averaged 9.0 points per game, 4.1 assists per game and 3.3 rebounds per game in 2021-22. He played in 32 games and started in 23 and finished the season with a 41.5% field goal percentage and an 84.4% free-throw percentage. Bayless was a Second Team All-Region XI selection and an Academic All-Region XI honoree.