Always a Bulldog: After a ‘special’ year at Gonzaga, Michael Ajayi off to roaring start with Butler
DALLAS – Michael Ajayi only spent one season at Gonzaga, a year in which he averaged just 6.5 points and 5.4 rebounds as he struggled to find a consistent role after transferring from Pepperdine.
He wouldn’t trade it for the world.
“It was really special, a year I won’t forget. Not a lot of kids can say they played for a program like that,” said Ajayi, who departed the Zags in late March before committing to Butler as a graduate transfer two weeks later. “We went to the (NCAA) tournament and won the (West Coast) conference championship. Really blessed to play last year and represent my city.”
Prior to his season in Spokane, he had starred at Pierce College and then later for the Waves, where he earned first-team all-WCC honors the season prior to coming to Gonzaga. And even though he only played one season under Zags head coach Mark Few, there were several pieces of advice from Few which he took to heart.
“I’d just say playing hard and whenever you get in, to just play your game and be yourself. Grab as many rebounds as possible and uplift your teammates and be a team player,” Ajayi said. “I was tight with Graham (Ike), Khalif Battle, Nolan (Hickman), Ryan (Nembhard), all those key guys that were a part of the team. We’re still a brotherhood. We still talk and follow each other on Instagram. It’s all love with them.”
However, there was one former GU teammate who he became extra close with and someone whose game he still tries to emulate as he wraps up his collegiate career at Butler.
“I’d say Khalif Battle. We were really tight,” Ajayi said. “How he’s wired and how he could score and manipulate the game and his character is really nice. I just look up to him. He was one of the older guys on the team. It was really great to have him (help me adjust).”
Shortly after helping lead the Zags to another trip to the NCAA Tournament, Ajayi announced the move to Butler, where he is averaging 14.8 points and 11.8 rebounds.
“Butler is really nice. They embraced me from the start,” he said. “The coaching staff, my teammates, we’re all just a unit and they embraced me with open arms. (Indianapolis is) a great basketball city.
“I just want to win and turn the program around and get to the tournament,” said.
Through his first four games as a Butler Bulldog, Ajayi is doing his part. He has put up four straight double-doubles to open the season as the team has started 3-1.
The move to Butler has also given Ajayi a chance to play for another legendary coach in Thad Matta, who has earned coach of the year honors in three leagues: the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (MCC) – now the Horizon League – the Atlantic-10, and three times in the Big 10.
Matta led Ohio State to five regular-season Big 10 titles and won the conference tournament four times. He also led the Buckeyes to the Final Four in 2007 and 2012 and the NIT title in 2008.
“He’s really humble,” Ajayi said of Matta. “He had a great career at Ohio State and even here. Just having him on my side, by my side and him giving me a lot of confidence to do my thing, I really appreciate him. He does a lot for the team and for the city.”
Of course, even with the change of venue from Spokane to Indianapolis, the underlying goal for Michael Ajayi has not changed. He wants his next stop to be the NBA.
“That’s definitely my goal. My ultimate goal is to get to the NBA, but right now I’m really focused on getting my team where we’re supposed to be,” Ajayi said.
Stephen Hunt is a freelance writer based in Frisco, Texas.