COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - Baiden Bean knew if he wanted to play a bigger role on the Saint John's basketball team one day, he'd have to get … well … bigger.
 
That's why the Johnnies' junior point guard has logged so many hours in the weight room the past two years.
 
"It's one of the things I learned from (All-American wing) Ryan Thissen (a senior on last season's SJU roster)," Bean said. "He stressed how important it was to work on getting stronger in the offseason.
 
"It's not just about being on the court as much as you can, which you should definitely be doing. It's also about making time to hit the weight room. At this level, what happens in the weight room is just as important as what happens on the court – maybe even more so sometimes."
 
The results of Bean's efforts are easy to see. The 6-foot-1 Farmington High School graduate – who arrived in Collegeville tipping the scales at 150 pounds – is now up to around 175.
 
He said that added muscle has made him a far more effective defender.
 
"I've kept my quickness and speed, but now I'm able cut my guy off on the defensive end and maybe throw a bump back," Bean said. "Before, when I'd cut a guy off, I'd get bounced into the paint. I'm able to be a lot more physical now and that's made me a better player overall."
 
Which, in turn, has translated into a lot more playing time. After averaging only 5.6 minutes per game his freshman season, and just 3.8 as a sophomore last season, he has now stepped into an expanded role for the Johnnies, who lost eight of their top nine scorers from a year ago to graduation.
 
Through action Wednesday (Feb. 4), he is averaging 8.3 points and 2.4 rebounds per game, while boasting an MIAC-best 104 assists and a team-best 30 steals.
 
"He's just gotten so much stronger," SJU head coach Pat McKenzie '04 said. "He's always been incredibly quick. That's been there from the start. But to be able to now combine that with the ability to be more physical has made him that much more talented as an all-around player."
 
Bean learned a lot playing behind the core group of players who led SJU to a 25-4 record, an MIAC tournament title and a berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs last season. But he and the other newcomers to the rotation were also hungry to show that they could accomplish when given the opportunity.
 
"We don't want to take a step back," he said. "I think that's been a motivating factor for all of us. After we played Wisconsin-Oshkosh in the season opener (a 90-86 loss on Nov. 8), people were telling us we played better than they expected because of our young roster. But we didn't take that as a compliment. We're holding ourselves to a higher standard.
 
"People talk about us being young. But Vinny (starting post Vincent Hillesheim) and I are juniors. We have some older guys. We just haven't had the chance to play as much as we are now. So we definitely felt like we had something to prove."
 
Judging by the Johnnies' recent record, that point is being made loud and clear. SJU has gone 7-3 since returning from the holiday break and is now right in the midst of a tightly packed group of teams battling for spots No. 2 through 6 in the conference playoffs.
 
"Everyone is getting a lot more comfortable with each other," Bean said. "We're a lot more cohesive as a group and we're holding ourselves accountable. If someone messes up and takes a dumb shot, or they're not in the right place, we're able to tell them and they take it the right way. 
 
"Everyone is trying to make everyone else better. We're all on the same page."
 
Bean's father Trenton played college basketball at Valley City (N.D.) State and older brother Brady played baseball at St. Thomas. 
 
So athletics have always been a big part of his family.
 
"I can't remember the first time I played basketball," the global business leadership major and finance minor said. "It seems like I always had a ball in my hands. In fact, my dad named me after the Baden brand of basketballs.
 
"So there was no doubt I was going to be on the court."
 
He's still there today, and now he's looking to continue making a big impact as the Johnnies head down the regular season's home stretch.
 
"We know we have the potential to accomplish big things," he said. "We just need to be more consistently good. There are times we've been great and times we've been not-so-great. Now it's a matter of finding the level we know we can play at and keeping things there."