Gonzaga announces addition of Pepperdine transfer, top WCC scorer Michael Ajayi

Apr. 23—Nearly one month after announcing his commitment to Gonzaga, Pepperdine transfer Michael Ajayi has taken the next step toward joining Mark Few's roster in 2024-25, signing a financial aid agreement.

Gonzaga announced Ajayi's addition in a news release Tuesday afternoon.

"Michael is a great addition," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "He is a driven worker with high character, that will be a great fit with our guys."

Ajayi, who led the West Coast Conference in scoring last season at 17.1 points per game while finishing second with 9.9 rebounds, entered his name in the NBA draft earlier this month, but it's expected the transfer wing will return to college for the 2024-25 season.

While expanding on his decision to enter the NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility, Ajayi recently told The Spokesman-Review some evaluators expected he'd go undrafted while others gave him a second-round grade.

"I just want to get feedback and work on my game and it'll just better prepare me for next year," Ajayi said.

Ajayi was one of the WCC's top perimeter shooters in 2023-24, making 47% of his shots from behind the arc, and had 11 games scoring 20 points or more. The All-WCC first-team selection averaged 10 points and 8.5 rebounds in two losses to Gonzaga.