After just one season with Gonzaga, the 6’7 forward will be heading to Indianapolis to play for coach Thad Matta.
Gonzaga transfer Michael Ajayi has committed to Butler for his final season of eligibility. The senior forward will be the guy for coach Thad Matta in Indianapolis. The Bulldogs finished with a 15-20 overall record and in eighth place in the Big East Conference standings.
Ajayi averaged just 18.7 minutes per game and started 13 games for coach Mark Few in 2024-25. In comparison, he played 34.7 minutes per game and had 33 starts the previous season with the Pepperdine Waves.
In Spokane, Ajayi never was the same capable offensive threat that was seen in Malibu where he led the West Coast Conference in scoring with 17.2 per game while also grabbing 9.9 rebounds per game in 2023-24. His production in 2024-25 took a major dip to just 6.5 points per game on 44.6 field goal percentage/18.2 three-point percentage/69.5 free throw percentage to go along with 5.4 rebounds per game.
Ajayi should thrive in the Hinkle Fieldhouse. His defensive intensity, rebounding prowess, and overall versatility as a basketball player is what stood out from him with the Zags. The offensive part of his game should open up more with more minutes from Matta and go back to what fans saw two seasons ago. He could score on any level when with Pepperdine.
The Zags currently have eight of next season’s 15 scholarship spots filled (Braeden Smith, Steele Venters, Emmanuel Innocenti, Jalen Warley, Braden Huff, Ismaila Diagne, Davis Fogle, Graham Ike,). Ike still has a decision to make with an extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA.
Delaware transfer Izaiah Pasha recently announced Gonzaga, Texas Tech, and Penn State. The 6-4 freshman guard will take a trip to Spokane after the dead period ends on April 11th.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on Twitter @a_cravalho