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The rise of Justin Bean

Five years ago, 20-year-old Justin Bean joined Utah State basketball as a preferred walk-on. 

Four years later, Justin is a star for the Aggies, racking up double-doubles and pulling in name, image and likeness deals from around the state. He’s currently the seventh leading scorer and top rebounder in the conference, and a fan favorite. 

It’s no doubt been a successful season — and career —  for the 6-foot-7-inch forward from Moore, Oklahoma. But for the Aggie captain who will be honored senior night against Colorado State, it hasn’t always been an easy path. 

At a young age, Justin didn’t have much desire to get involved with athletics. His dad, Gordon, described him during his early years as “a little more of a computer nerd.” While Justin had a desire to learn more about computers and the games he had on them, his three older brothers had different ideas. They frequently dragged Justin outside to be their fourth player.

“I would be upstairs playing on the computer and my brothers would try and get me to come play basketball. I’d tell them I’m not really interested,” Justin recalled. “Three older brothers eventually wouldn’t let me say no.”

No matter the sport, his brothers were persistent he join them. But they were not fully prepared for what they had created. Once Justin got a taste of the competitive spirit, there was no stopping him. He became the most competitive person in the family.

“He could be playing checkers and if anybody beat him, he’d be upset,” Gordon said.

 Justin’s hatred of losing occasionally included a lack of gracefulness or sportsmanship.

“As a kid, I never wanted to lose, no matter what,” Justin said. “My brother and I would just be arguing over video games for a week if I lost, and we got into some pretty heated arguments and I won’t say fistfights, but some scuffles.”

As Justin continued to grow up and mature, he learned how to handle losing with class. He soon became a standout player in high school at Southmoore High School. Playing in the biggest division in the state, Justin played against top players such as current Atlanta Hawk Trae Young. During his junior year in high school, Justin averaged 22 points and 11 rebounds, good enough to be the third-leading scorer in the state of Oklahoma.

Justin was charging towards a deep run in the state tournament and continued success during his senior season when he encountered a major setback. He tore his ACL in February of 2014 — just weeks before the state tournament. 

“I remember getting my MRI and going to the follow-up appointment with my mom, and having the radiologist tell me that it was a torn ACL, and it was confirmed. My heart just sunk,” Justin said. “It was hard, man. I mean, there were definitely some tears shed for myself and for my team.”

Not long after the injury, the hardships continued. Justin developed a beni

gn tumor in his middle ear that corroded his stapes — a bone in your middle ear that transmits sound vibrations into your inner ear. In March, Justin had surgery on his ear removing the tumor and the stapes, putting a metal prosthetic bone in its place. He was left with just 50% hearing remaining in his left ear because of the removal of the bone, an ailment that is still with him. A month after ear surgery, Justin returned for ACL reconstruction surgery.

Justin Bean goes to work following ACL reconstruction surgery. Video courtesy of Gordon Bean 

ACL recovery typically takes anywhere from 9-12 months, but Justin was back on a basketball court in six months. With dreams of playing at the next level still intact, he averaged 16 points and nine rebounds through his senior year while his knee was still recovering. In addition to his high school play, Justin was able to continue his development through participation in AAU basketball.

The AAU has become a major part of the college basketball recruiting scene, hosts independent tournaments for players to continue developing outside of high school seasons. The typical format for an AAU tournament is to play pool play games on Friday and Saturday, followed by a tournament on Sunday. Justin, due to his religious beliefs, refused to play basketball on Sunday. As a result, he was limited to the number of teams willing to accept him on their squad.

“Justin didn’t play on any elite teams, although they would have loved to have him,” Gordon said. “He found a team that wasn’t nearly as competitive but allowed him to just go home on Saturday evening.”

The issue was that college scouts only come on Sunday to see the tournament. This limited the amount of exposure Justin got from college teams.

Despite this, he never regretted his decision to not play on Sunday. 

“That was always my goal and I always believed in that,” Justin said.

Despite the lack of offers, his dream to continue playing college basketball was still alive. Justin and his family took a trip to Utah in the fall of his senior year to show himself to all the Utah schools. Justin wanted to play in the Beehive State because he’s a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Justin and his family knew that schools in Utah would be more understanding of his desire to serve a church mission. 

He visited and tried out for every Utah school, but his only offer came from the University of Utah to be a preferred walk-on.

Shortly after graduation, Justin left for his church mission in Reno, Nevada. Meanwhile, Gordon continued to reach out to schools and found traction with Utah State and head coach Tim Duryea.

Duryea put Gordon in contact with assistant coach and former Aggie Spencer Nelson, who was the director of recruiting at the time. Nelson grew up in Pocatello and remembered watching Gordon play college basketball at Idaho State. The two became instant friends.

After a glowing review from Gordon, Nelson wanted to meet Justin to determine whether he would be a fit at Utah State. 

“I just said, ‘you will never have a player that works harder than Justin, or who has a motor like Justin,’” Gordon said. “‘I’m just telling you. Justin can play at your school.’”

With four months remaining until Justin returned home from serving, Nelson traveled to Reno to meet with him. Without ever having Justin pick up a basketball, Nelson extended him an offer to be a preferred walk-on at Utah State.

Justin returned home to Oklahoma in the summer of 2017 and chose to go to Utah State — his mother’s alma mater — over Utah. 

“When (Nelson) came out, it really spoke volumes to me in terms of their loyalty and how much they wanted me. That ultimately was the deciding factor for me,” Justin said. “Even though they couldn’t give me a scholarship, I knew that I could get one eventually.”

In the fall of 2017, Justin enrolled at Utah State and redshirted his first year with the program. After Justin’s freshman season, Duryea was let go on March 11, 2018. Just over two weeks later, on March 27, Utah State announced the hiring of head coach Craig Smith.

During his tenure at Utah State, coach Smith had what was called the G.A.T.A. Belt. A literal wrestling title belt, it represented Smith’s mantra of “get after their ass” and became the hustle award in the program. Plays coach Smith deemed ‘hustle plays’ were charted throughout practices and whoever tallied the most won the belt. 

Now in his redshirt freshmanJustinBeanShooting season, Justin frequently won the team’s hustle award in practice, which showed how well he was doing. Despite the strong performances in practice, he struggled to get off the bench and into games.

During Christmas break of 2018, Justin returned home to Oklahoma to spend the holiday with his family. During that time, he expressed his frustrations with the situation and lack of playing time to his parents. 

“He was almost ready to be done,” Gordon said. 

Justin felt because he was a walk-on he wasn’t getting the same opportunity to play as his teammates despite how he was playing in practice. He considered walking away from basketball and putting his time and energy towards getting his degree. 

“My parents just said, ‘Utah State aside, coaching aside, scholarship aside, do you still love the game?’ I thought about that the whole weekend I was home,” Justin said. “My love for the game never changed and hadn’t faltered any, even though I was in some tough circumstances.”

Shortly after Christmas break, Justin set up a meeting with Smith so he could discuss his concerns. Smith entered the room and gave Justin a surprise he wasn’t expecting. After discussing Justin’s performances in practice with his wife, Smith openly wondered to her why he wasn’t giving Justin more playing time. Determining that Justin had worked for his opportunity, Smith informed him he would start seeing increased playing time from that point forward.

From then on Justin played in every game that season, averaging five points per game. He played 26 minutes against scored 9 points in a home win over No. 12 Nevada. And in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Washington, he played 20 minutes, posting six points and five rebounds. 

Justin Bean at MW Championships in 2019. Statesman File Photo

Justin continued to improve as a player as a sophomore.

Averaging 11.9 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in the 2019-20 season, he became the first Aggie to average a double-double in over 40 years. His junior season was no different. Justin posted 11.4 points per game while helping the Aggies be a top 10 team nationally in defensive efficiency. 

It’d prove to be a defining year, not only on the court — where he was named second-team All-Mountain West — but in his personal life. 

In December of the 2020 season, Justin’s cousin Rylan Bean told him about a friend of his that he thought Justin should ask on a date. After Rylan failed to get Justin the number of his friend, Justin took matters into his own hands.

“He had DMed me on Instagram and asked me on a date,” Justin’s wife Claire said. “I was a little confused. I didn’t know how he knew who I was.” 

The DM led to the first date that Claire described as “the best first date I’d ever been on.” After a nine-month courtship, Justin married Claire on August 6, 2021.

 

Now married, basketball was still a major priority for Justin. 

With Neemias Queta leaving in the NBA Draft following last summer, Justin entered this season the top returning player for the Aggies and was determined to help lead the team. 

His work over the offseason has helped him have the best season of his career. 

Last season, Justin shot just 23.8% from three. To this point in the season, he is shooting just over 49% from range. Spending hours in the gym over the summer and shooting hundreds of threes every day has made him into a threat from beyond the arch. 

“Every day he was shooting threes until he hit a certain number,” Claire said.

From church gyms in Oklahoma to local gyms in Santaquin, Utah, to USU facilities in Logan, Justin put up shots every day, while Claire rebounded for him. Justin credits Claire for a lot that he’s accomplished this season. 

“She gives me good pep talks before each game, just reminding me to be confident,” Justin said. “Some people may laugh at that or think it’s silly, but she really has been a great influence on me on the court…I definitely couldn’t do any of what I’m doing without her.”

This season, Justin has arguably become the most popular student-athlete on campus. Not only has he inserted himself into Aggie record books, but he has also garnered numerous Name, Image and Likeness deals. 

Between Taco Time’s “Bean Burrito” sponsorship, a deal with USU Credit Union and fan apparel, Justin has become a staple of the Cache Valley community.  

 

The Beans are stopped for pictures and conversations every time they leave the house. A routine run to Smith’s Marketplace for energy drinks becomes a fan interaction experience for anyone at the store. While this could be overwhelming for some, the Beans take it in stride.

“I’ll never be able to say or do anything to show my appreciation for the fans and for the HURD,” Justin said.

One thing Justin has always loved is the low rumbling chant of his name that echoes throughout the Spectrum. Along with the chant is the signature hand gesture of a bean that the students make when he makes a play.

 “I thought they were holding up hearts at first, I was kind of confused,” Justin said. “But I thought, ‘hey, that’s very endearing.’ Then someone told me after the game that they were actually bean signs.”

Students cup their hands into a “Bean” while Justin shoots a free throw. Photo by Joseph F. Myers

As the season winds down, it’s hard not to wonder: what comes next for Justin Bean? Justin is an exercise science major with the ambition to be a podiatrist like his father. Having good grades, the goal of medical school is within reach, but is his life of basketball done yet?

Justin’s play has drawn the attention of numerous NBA squads, including the Minnesota Timberwolves, who had a scout present for Justin’s 32-point performance against UNLV.  

“It definitely changes my viewpoint on my career and just makes you want to work that much harder,” Justin said about his future. 

“When that time comes, and if that time comes, I think that’d be awesome and something that we’d really enjoy doing,” Claire said. 

Adding to the uncertainty is that Justin still has one year of eligibility, due to the pandemic. 

He could return to Utah State or pursue his dream of playing professional basketball in the NBA or internationally. 

“I know there’s going to be a lot of questions about whether I’m coming back or not,” Justin said. “I’m just going to have to see kind of where I’m at at the end of the season if I’m going to use that COVID year or try to pursue a career in the NBA or overseas. We’ll just have to kind of see what happens.”

While Justin’s future is certainly on his mind, he’ll wrap up the season doing what he’s done the past four years: try to lead the Aggies to victory.

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