Gonzaga Basketball: Profile of the ultimate “glue guy” in Joel Ayayi

NBA FIT AND GONZAGA NCAA EXPECTATIONS

Where does Ayayi go in the incoming NBA Draft? End of the 1Rd? Maybe somewhere in the 2nd? For all we know Draft is bias, so I will reform the question: does Ayayi belong to the League? I’d say yes. Absolutely. If you don’t find yourself on his bandwagon by now, you might need look again at everything he’s accomplished during his four years at Spokane.

Check how much he’s improved every season and established himself among other elite recruits, many of them already in the NBA. Review his numbers and overall production. Watch his defensive game and adaptability, his dominance in the glass, his scoring flexibility, and the many little things he can do on both ends.

There will be always questions on young prospects being ready for the league, or about how they can handle the physical step up and going against hard-nosed pros on an everyday basis. In Ayayi’s case, the positives clearly outweigh any negatives you can make out of him.

Coachable kid with great work ethic and the mixture of size, instincts, and versatility to put out any fires in the roster. Joel might well be the kind of guy that comes off the bench any given night, helps to stabilize the defensive unit at first, and slowly becomes essential for teammates and coaches.

Said that, there’s always a chance Ayayi stays for a 5th year in school and become ‘the guy’ as primary initiator and scorer. But the truth is unless he can keep (or improve) his 39.8% from behind the arc at a higher clip, it’s hard to see Joel nailing a better pick in 2022 than 2021. Ultimately, such improvement could also come with the pros.

What about Gonzaga NCAA title aspirations? Is this the best team Mark Few ever assembled? They just entered the post-season unbeaten and willing to go all the way as the Bobby Knight Hoosiers did in 1976. The NCAA Committee has packed Gonzaga’s West Region with Iowa, KU, and UVA, all of them well beaten by the Zags in the non-conference schedule. I asked Riccardo Fois about Gonzaga’s odds to land for the first time a National Championship.

"“I think Gonzaga has been one of the top 5 programs in last 10 years. Five Sweet 16 in a row, a team opponents don’t want to face in March. This year the squad is as good as any there is ever been in Spokane, and Coach Few and Tommy Lloyd have built it and develop this roster into one of the best teams in college basketball history with an unbeaten regular season… Win it all will require something especial, though. It’s not easy when you think only UCLA, Indiana and a few others have done it. But I know the winners in that locker room, and I know their hard work and their attention to every detail. They will be ready to go. Every game will be a fight, but they are hunting for something special”."

So now you know. Watch the Zags go for it, and enjoy every bit of this March as it were the first you ever had. And of course, don’t miss out on Joel Ayayi when Gonzaga puts a run. It’s been a long way since he first showed his talents leading all scorers for France youth teams.

Today Ayayi keeps making his mark in Spokane and still wins games, only he does it in more ways than one.