Gonzaga’s Michael Ajayi: ‘I feel like we’re gonna win a national championship’

Ajayi cited Gonzaga’s NBA “resume” and “winning culture” as to why he’ll be a great fit with the Bulldogs next season

Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Michael Ajayi wasn’t bullish on the idea that the Gonzaga Bulldogs could cut down the nets as the 2025 national champions.

In an interview with college basketball analyst Andy Katz during the NBA Draft combine, the 6-foot-7 wing shared why he’d be glad to return to college hoops for his final year of eligibility with the Zags:

“If [NBA coaches and general managers] want me to stay in the draft then, God bless,” Ajayi said. “But if they want me to do another year [of college basketball], then I’d be glad to go to Gonzaga with a good team next year. I feel like we’re gonna win a national championship.”

Ajayi’s sentiments aren’t far off from what many in the national media expect out of the Bulldogs, who are set to return six of their top seven scorers from last season. 

ESPN moved Gonzaga up to No. 3 in its latest way-to-early-power rankings for the 2024-25 season. The update came after Mark Few landed a commitment from Arkansas grad transfer Khalif Battle, a 6-foot-5 guard who averaged 14.8 points with the Razorbacks. Colgate transfer Braeden Smith is set to take an official visit to Spokane within the next week as well.

CBS Sports, FOX Sports and Sports Illustrated were also among the handful of national media outlets who had the Bulldogs in the top 10 of their respective rankings for next season. 

All-WCC players Ryan Nembhard, Nolan Hickman and Graham Ike are all set to return to the starting lineup along with Ben Gregg, who proved to be a big component to the late-season turnaround as a member of the first five. Braden Huff, Dusty Stromer and Jun Seok Yeo are back for their second season with the program, while Steele Venters is on track to make his Gonzaga debut a year after transferring from Eastern Washington. The Ellensburg, Washington, native missed all last season with an ACL injury.

Michael Ajayi with some strong @ZagMBB vibes as he decides on what to do in the @NBADraft process for @MarchMadnessMBB @WCChoops: pic.twitter.com/IPFekeToVn

— Andy Katz (@TheAndyKatz) May 14, 2024