LOGAN — A day removed from the announcement that Utah State’s men’s basketball team had signed a high profile international recruit, the Aggies have reeled in another.
USU announced the signing of Ukrainian national Max Shulga on Wednesday, in the wake of the team signing Polish national and four-star center Szymon Zapala on Tuesday. Shulga is a native of Kiev, Ukraine. He has signed a national letter of intent and will join the Aggies for the 2020-21 season.
“Max is a versatile player that does a lot of things well on both ends of the court.” — Utah State coach Craig Smith
He played for Ukraine at the 2019 U18 FIBA European Championships and averaged 13.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.0 steals per game. He was the top shooter in the tournament, at 61.9% overall, a percentage that includes a blistering 52.9% from behind the arc.
“We are thrilled to announce that Max Shulga will be joining the Aggie family,” Utah State coach Craig Smith said in a released statement. “As witnessed by his numbers, Max is a versatile player that does a lot of things well on both ends of the court. He’s tough, gritty, highly skilled and has a very good feel for the game. Max has great passion and energy. When you combine that with his character, he will thrive at Utah State.”
The 17-year-old Shulga — he turns 18 in June — attended high school at the Basketball School of Excellence in Torrelodones, Spain. He led his league in scoring, averaging 16 points per game.
Shulga joins Zapala and shooting guard Rollie Worster as current USU signees, according to 247Sports. The Aggies are also reportedly interested in Utah transfer Both Gach.