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Gonzaga Basketball

Michael Ajayi becomes third Gonzaga player to enter NCAA transfer portal

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Michael Ajayi (1) drives the ball against San Francisco Dons center Saba Gigiberia (10) during the first half of the WCC Tournament Semifinals on Monday, Mar. 10, 2025, at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. (Tyler Tjomsland / The Spokesman-Review)
By Theo Lawson theol@spokesman.com(509) 459-5584

Michael Ajayi indicated he’d mull the idea of returning to college for one final season through a blanket NCAA waiver given to former junior college athletes.

Ajayi may still exercise that option, just not with Gonzaga.

The forward who transferred to Gonzaga after an all-conference season at Pepperdine is back in the transfer portal a year later. Ajayi’s agency, CAA Basketball, confirmed to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony on Thursday he was entering the portal and the forward later reposted the report on Instagram. Givony’s report didn’t specify whether Ajayi would also enter the NBA draft.

Gonzaga has lost three players to the transfer portal – one each day since it opened Tuesday – with Ajayi following guard Dusty Stromer and forward Jun Seok Yeo.

Ajayi, a former Pierce (Washington) Community College standout, arrived at Gonzaga after leading the West Coast Conference in scoring at 17.5 points per game while also averaging 10.2 rebounds and shooting 47% from the 3-point line.

Ajayi committed to Gonzaga before the team’s Sweet 16 matchup with Purdue and simultaneously entered the NBA draft, posting impressive numbers at draft combine scrimmages before withdrawing his name on March 29.

The forward had a bumpy season at Gonzaga, coming off the bench for the first two games, starting in the next 12 and returning to a reserve role for 19 of the final 20.

Averaging roughly more than half of the minutes he did at Pepperdine, Ajayi scored just 6.5 ppg on 44% shooting from the field and 18% from the 3-point line while pulling down 5.4 rebounds. He totaled 18.9 minutes per game after playing 34.7 the season prior.

Ajayi played 21 total minutes in the NCAA Tournament, scoring six points and contributing six rebounds in an 89-68 win over Georgia and a 81-76 loss to Houston. Ajayi was on the floor late against Houston when the Zags went to their “13 press” defense and chipped away at the Cougars’ lead in the final minutes.

After the second-round NCAA loss, Ajayi told The Spokesman-Review he was “always open” to the idea of a junior college blanket waiver, but hadn’t given much thought to his plans for next season.

“I haven’t thought too much about it. I was just trying to focus on the game beforehand,” Ajayi said. “I’ve got to talk to my parents and see what’s the right decision, but I have no answer for right now. I’m still thinking.”

Ajayi never discovered his 3-point shooting form, missing 11 consecutive shots from behind the arc to close the season and failing to make one in the team’s final 13 games.

The Kent, Washington, native gave the Zags a strong rebounding presence, finishing second on the team in that category, securing at least eight in nine games and registering a season-high 15 boards in an 81-50 win over Portland at the Arena.

With Ajayi’s expected departure, Gonzaga will have to replace at least seven scholarship players ahead of the 2025-26 season. Along with three players in the transfer portal, Gonzaga has four seniors without additional eligibility in guards Ryan Nembhard, Nolan Hickman and Khalif Battle, along with forward Ben Gregg.