If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.
The 6”7” wing and native of Kent, Washington will be returning to his home state to play for the Zags next season. Ajayi was the West Coast Conference’s leading scorer at 17.2 PPG on shooting splits of 46.7 FG%/47.0 3P%/70.9 FT% with Pepperdine. The junior also finished 2nd in the conference for rebounding at 9.9 RPG. He was one of the most coveted players in the transfer portal.
Ajayi is a multi-positional defender with a seven foot wingspan and a deep offensive repertoire (a killer with his catch-and-shoot game). He will fill majority of Anton Watson’s minutes and should be drafted into the NBA after one season with Gonzaga.
Gonzaga recruiting never stops, even during the full swing of March Madness. Look how scary this potential roster for Gonzaga could be next season.
Ryan Nembhard
Nolan Hickman
Michael Ajayi
Ben Gregg
Graham Ike
Dusty Stromer
Steele Venters
Braden Huff
Jun Seok Yeo
Luka Krajnovic
Yes, of course there is a chance that one or two of these players may transfer for more playing time/NIL deals but the 2024-2025 squad has the potential to be a preseason Top 5 ranked team next season. It’s far too early to be having that discussion right now as the Zags have more important things to worry about at the moment. Maybe that massive rematch with #1 Purdue on Friday with a trip to the Elite Eight being on the line?
