Gonzaga’s Michael Ajayi is ready ‘to put on a show’ in Seattle vs. Kentucky

Bulldogs senior forward is feeling good about his return to the Seattle area for the Bulldogs' matchup with the Wildcats
Gonzaga senior guard Michael Ajayi.
Gonzaga senior guard Michael Ajayi. / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Michael Ajayi’s list of ticket requests for Saturday’s highly-anticipated matchup between No. 7 Gonzaga and No. 4 Kentucky is lengthy — from some of his previous coaches to friends and family, the Kent, Washington, native will have quite the crowd awaiting him as he makes his return to the Seattle area.

For some players, the emotions that come with playing in front of loved ones can lead to feeling overwhelmed. Ajayi, however, is anticipating the exact opposite. Not that long ago he was a senior in high school shooting hoops on a homemade basketball court his father had built during the height of a global pandemic.

“It cost a lot of money building that court, but it paid off,” Ajayi said. “And now going back to the backyard — Seattle, Climate Pledge. It's a full circle. It’s amazing.”

Ajayi has come a long way since he was playing on the junior varsity team as a 5-foot-10 junior at Kentwood High School. After a massive growth spurt over a 15-month period put him closer to 6-foot-7, all that time spent working on his skills at home and with his AAU team was on full display when he returned to Kentwood for a shortened spring season as a senior in 2021. Unfortunately, not many college scouts were able to take notice due to travel restrictions.

Ajayi spent the next two years in nearby Puyallup, where he stuffed the stat sheet with Pierce Community College. He was named the 2022 Northwest Athletic Conference West Region's Most Valuable Player and the West Region's Freshman of the Year, averaging 20.4 points and 11.3 rebounds in 23 games. Among the highlights, Ajayi recorded back-to-back games with 40 points against Highline (one shy of the school record) and grabbed 26 rebounds in a different game against Centralia.

Along with some impressive runs at a pro-am event in Seattle, Ajayi’s tenacity on the boards and versatility on offense at the JUCO level earned him his first Division-I scholarship offer from then-Pepperdine head coach Lorenzo Romar. In his lone season with the Waves, Ajayi led the West Coast Conference in scoring and was second in rebounds, except the team finished 5-11 in league play and parted ways with Romar shortly after the conference tournament.

Ajayi made a quick decision to commit to Gonzaga in early March. Through his first eight games (including six starts), he’s putting up 7.6 points and 5.8 rebounds in 22.0 minutes.

"It's been different, but I learned to accept it,” Ajayi said of his new role. “And whenever I play I can play 30 minutes, 20 minutes, 10 minutes to play my hardest. And so is [Ben Gregg]. Me and him, we go at it practice, so me and him are just two dogs ready to play."

Ajayi has kept ties with some of his former coaches at Pierce, including assistant coach Kenny Hart, who actually made the long journey down to the Bahamas to watch Ajayi compete in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament over the holiday week.

“He's been here the whole ride,” Ajayi said of Hart. “He just taught me so much about the game when I was playing JUCO and he's like another father to me. Whenever I have a bad game, I just call him and he talks me through it. So, just love him.”

Unfortunately Hart won’t be able to attend the Wildcats game, according to Ajayi, but he still expects a few of his Pierce coaches will show when he takes the floor for a big-time showdown against a top five opponent.

"A lot of family and friends," Ajayi said. "My sisters, my parents, my uncles, a couple of my friends back home ... this is going to be good for them to just watch me play in person finally. And it's gonna be a great event, and I can't wait to put on a show."

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Cole Forsman
COLE FORSMAN

Cole Forsman is a reporter for Gonzaga Bulldogs On SI. Cole holds a degree in Journalism and Sports Management from Gonzaga University.