Gonzaga's Michael Ajayi enters transfer portal

Ajayi, who was listed as a senior on the team's official roster, will have another year of eligibility after the NCAA approved an extra season for seniors who previously competed at non-NCAA schools for one or more years. That means Ajayi, who previously a star at Pierce Community College for two seasons before making the jump to Division-I level, could play another season of college hoops instead of going pro.

Ajayi starred with the Pepperdine Waves following his two years at the JUCO level. The 6-foot-7 forward led the West Coast Conference in scoring at 17.2 points per game while shooting 46.7% from the field and 47% from 3-point range. Ajayi also grabbed 9.2 rebounds per game and led the conference in free-throw attempts.

Ajayi, who's from Kent, Washington, cashed in on his All-WCC first team honors with the Waves by entering his name into the transfer portal following the 2023-24 season. He even entertained the thought of going to the NBA, though it wasn't long before he took up an opportunity to play close to home. Ajayi committed to Gonzaga just days after entering the portal.

Ajayi played significant minutes early in the season and even made 12 consecutive starts during nonconference play. He scored 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds against the Indiana Hoosiers in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, then had 14 points and six rebounds against the UConn Huskies about two weeks later in New York City. But a week later, he had back-to-back scoreless games against the Bucknell Bison and UCLA Bruins.

Ajayi's energy on the boards earned him high praise from his coach Mark Few early in the season, though the inconsistencies on the offensive end of the floor likely contributed to Ajayi's role being put in flux down the stretch of the regular season. Ajayi logged less than 19 minutes per game and averaged 7.2 points in WCC play.

Overall, Ajayi appeared in 34 out of a possible 35 games with the Bulldogs in his lone season in Spokane. He averaged 6.5 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 44.6% from the field and 18.2% from 3-point range. The Zags were 8-1 when Ajayi scored 10 or more points.

Ajayi is the third Gonzaga player in the portal, along with Dusty Stromer and Jun Seok Yeo.

Ajayi's named was commonly seen on notable mock drafts and big boards in the lead up to the 2024-25 college basketball season. Last spring, Ajayi went through tests and drills at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, where he stuffed the stat sheet in a few scrimmages to earn some credibility among scouts and general managers.

Following his one season at Gonzaga, though, most mock drafts don't include Ajayi — or any Zag for that matter — among the 60 players who are expected to hear their name called on draft night this June.