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LGAN — In the fall of last year, Taylor Funk was preparing for his final season at Saint Joseph's.
The senior forward planned on playing his fourth season for the Hawks, then leaving Philadelphia with four years of Atlantic 10 experience to pursue professional basketball.
NBA scouts convinced him to reconsider.
If Funk was going to make it, they said, he'd have to play the four position; and weighing 210 pounds at 6-foot-8 wasn't going to cut it.
"They said why don't you use your last year and go back to school and get some muscle you," Funk said.
In turn, on April 15, Funk didn't compete at any prestigious pre-draft invitationals in front of scouts or communicate with an agent; instead, he spent the day driving from Pennsylvania to Utah, where he's set to join the Utah State basketball program for his final season of eligibility.
It's one of several deliberate decisions Funk has made in recent months.
Funk listened to outside advice and made a decision best for himself as he determined whether or not to take advantage of his COVID year. In his decision to transfer, he took an eight-week course for the spring semester so he could get to his new school before the summer. He visited just one school, Utah State, and committed to the Aggies while sitting in the Salt Lake airport to fly home from his visit.
That wasn't to say there weren't other opportunities: Arkansas, Alabama, BYU, Colorado State, Florida, Miami, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Xavier, and a handful of other schools reached out.
He averaged 13.2 points per game and shot 37.3% from 3-point range in one of the top mid-major leagues in the country, so it was no wonder he was a hot commodity in the portal.
"I enjoyed every conversation I had with every coach that called, and it just came down to having to make a responsible decision on where I was gonna go," Funk said. "Because I know I only have one more chance of this; I get one more year. And I had to find the perfect fit and the perfect system that I wanted to play in."
Funk will join a program ready to welcome him with open arms. The Aggies lost their two most productive scorers, forward's Justin Bean and Brandon Horvath, and it was a top priority this offseason to replenish their height and offensive production.
Fortunately for Ryan Odom and his coaching staff, they were familiar with Funk and knew the Pennsylvania native would fit the mold. While at UMBC, Odom and assistant coach Nate Dixon recruited Funk on the AAU circuit and offered him a scholarship. They saw him in college, too.
While at UMBC, Odom set up two closed scrimmages against Funk's first coach at St Joseph's, Phil Martelli, and the two teams scrimmaged each other in the preseason of 2017 and 2018, Funk's freshman and sophomore seasons.
The moment Funk put his name in the portal, Utah State called him.
"Immediately, when he went into the portal we reached out," Odom said. "We went to see him, met with them, you know, showed him kind of how we would use them. And then, as soon as we were done with the presentation, he said, 'I believe this is a clear fit for me, and I want to come take a look.'"
Two days later, Funk was on a plane to Utah.
He immediately felt comfortable in Logan, he said. The mountains, which Dixon tried to show him over FaceTime prior to his visit, were more impressive than he could imagine.
Funk sensed everybody he met — coaches, players, academic advisors and the strength coach — wanted him to be there. He liked the culture Odom had established and he got along well with his potential teammates. He saw a team that wanted to be at Utah State.
What they did on the court didn't hurt, either.
The Aggies will return every scholarship guard besides senior Brock Miller, who retired from college basketball; and with it, comes one of the most efficient passing offenses in the nation. According to kenpom.com, Utah State had the highest assist-to-field goals made ratio in the nation last season at 65.6%.
"That was one of the biggest things that sold me," Funk said. "And that's just how I play, sharing and getting everyone involved. And I think that's how basketball is supposed to be played. I think you can win a lot of games like that."
His final night in Utah of the visit, Funk lay in bed and considered the camaraderie he had had with the team. He determined he wouldn't have a better fit than with the Aggies.
"I couldn't really say anything or think of anything bad about Utah State," Funk said. "It was exactly what I was looking for. And so I thought, I don't need to visit any other schools, let's just get this over with. So I committed the next morning in the airport, and that's it."
"I think he felt like, 'OK, these guys are serious about winning,'" Odom said. "He wanted to be a part of a winning program. He wanted to be a part of a program where the coaches and the players are connected. And he wanted to be at a place where he had an opportunity to grow his game."
Funk leaves a program that hadn't made the NCAA Tournament since 2016 to a program that expects to be there every year — and has for three of the last four seasons. But it's a little different than if he'd committed to Arkansas or Wisconsin.
By joining the Aggies, Funk won't just add extra depth for an NCAA Tournament caliber team; instead, his production will be a key factor in whether or not Utah State is capable of being in the at-large bid conversation. Similar to his process of getting to Utah State, expect decisive action from Funk in his one year in Logan.
Funk said he plans to put in the work in the weight room during the offseason to better fill into a forward frame. He'll almost undoubtedly start at the four spot and provide key defensive and rebounding responsibilities. Funk will also be relied on to stretch the floor and improve the Aggies' 3-point shooting — and do everything he can to impress NBA scouts.
"We feel very fortunate to have him," Odom said. "And we're confident that he's going to play well for us and be about the team first."
