Joël Ayayi
No. 11 – Gonzaga Bulldogs | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Position | Shooting guard / Point guard | ||||||||||||||||||||
League | West Coast Conference | ||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Bordeaux, France | 5 March 2000||||||||||||||||||||
Nationality | French / Beninese | ||||||||||||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||
High school | INSEP (Paris, France) | ||||||||||||||||||||
College | Gonzaga (2018–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||||||||
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
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Joël Ayayi (born 5 March 2000) is a French-Beninese college basketball player for the Gonzaga Bulldogs of the West Coast Conference (WCC).
Early life and career
Ayayi was born and raised in Bordeaux, France. Growing up, he idolized National Basketball Association (NBA) player and Bordeaux native Boris Diaw.[1] Ayayi attended INSEP, a sports institute in Paris, and played for affiliated club Centre Fédéral.[2] He was considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com and received NCAA Division I offers from Baylor, Georgia Tech, and Gonzaga.[3] On 27 April 2017, Ayayi committed to play college basketball for Gonzaga.[4]
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
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Joël Ayayi PG/SG |
Paris, France | INSEP | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Apr 28, 2017 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:![]() ![]() | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources:
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College career
Ayayi joined the Gonzaga basketball team as a 17 year old and decided to redshirt his first season and train with the team.[5] In his redshirt freshman season, he averaged 5.6 minutes per game through 23 contests.[6] On November 27, 2019, early in his sophomore season, Ayayi posted a career-high 21 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in a win over Southern Miss.[7] He had 20 points in a 94-50 win over San Diego on January 9, 2020.[8] At the conclusion of the regular season, Ayayi was named Honorable Mention All-West Coast Conference (WCC).[9] On March 10, 2020, he helped Gonzaga win the WCC Tournament and was named Most Outstanding Player after scoring 17 points in the final against Saint Mary's.[10] He averaged 10.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.2 per game for the Bulldogs and was All-West Coast Conference honorable mention. Following the season he declared for the 2020 NBA draft but did not hire an agent.[11]
National team career
Ayayi holds dual citizenship to France and his parents' home country of Benin, but he plays basketball for the French national teams.[12] At the 2016 FIBA U16 European Championship in Radom, Poland, he averaged 11.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game for France.[13] Ayayi led his team to a bronze medal at the 2018 FIBA U18 European Championship in Latvia. After averaging 15.7 points per game, he was named to the All-Star Five.[14] Ayayi helped France win bronze at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup in Heraklion, Greece, where he earned All-Star Five honors. He averaged 20.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game and led all scorers with 33 points in a bronze medal game against Lithuania.[15]
Career statistics
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017–18 | Gonzaga | ![]() | ||||||||||
2018–19 | Gonzaga | 23 | 0 | 5.6 | .531 | .273 | .286 | 1.4 | .5 | .3 | 0 | 1.7 |
2019–20 | Gonzaga | 33 | 23 | 29.3 | .483 | .345 | .825 | 6.3 | 3.2 | 1.3 | .2 | 10.6 |
Career | 56 | 23 | 19.6 | .488 | .338 | .771 | 4.3 | 2.1 | .9 | .1 | 7.0 |
Personal life
Both of Ayayi's parents are from Benin.[16] His father stands 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) and played basketball professionally in France and for the Beninese national team.[12] Ayayi's older sister Valériane has played for the French women's national team, most notably at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).[17][18] His younger brother Gérald plays professional basketball in France.[12]
References
- ^ Lawson, Theo (23 March 2019). "Gonzaga's Killian Tillie and Joel Ayayi meet French icon, idol Boris Diaw after Baylor win". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- ^ Hein, David (27 April 2017). "CFBB's Ayayi learns from big sister". Adidas Next Generation Tournament. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- ^ "Joel Ayayi, 2017 Point guard". Rivals.com. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- ^ Woodburn, Peter (27 April 2017). "2017 Recruiting: French guard Joel Ayayi commits to Gonzaga". The Slipper Still Fits. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- ^ Laurin, Emmanuel (2 December 2017). "Joël Ayayi, ou la découverte de la NCAA à 17 ans" (in French). Basket USA. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- ^ "Joel Ayayi". Gonzaga University Athletics. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- ^ Beard, Aaron (November 28, 2019). "Kispert, No. 8 Gonzaga top Southern Miss 94-69 at Atlantis". Associated Press. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
- ^ Hines, Travis (January 10, 2020). "Filip Petrusev, No. 1 Gonzaga race past San Diego 94-50". NBC Sports. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
- ^ "WCC Announces 2019-20 Men's Basketball All-Conference Team" (Press release). West Coast Conference. March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
- ^ "Zags Crowned WCC Tournament Champs". Gonzaga University Athletics. Associated Press. March 10, 2020. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
- ^ Meehan, Jim (April 25, 2020). "Joel Ayayi declares for NBA draft but indicates No. 1 option is returning to Gonzaga". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ a b c Meehan, Jim (13 October 2018). "Gonzaga redshirt sophomore Joel Ayayi tries to carve out role among deep roster". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ Woodburn, Peter (26 July 2018). "Joel Ayayi playing for France in the FIBA U18 European Championships". The Slipper Still Fits. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ "Ayayi and Petrusev Shine at FIBA U18 European Championship". Gonzaga University Athletics. 6 August 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ "Gonzaga's Oumar Ballo and Joel Ayayi make All-Star Five at FIBA World Cup". The Spokesman-Review. 7 July 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ Givony, Jonathan; Schmitz, Mike (11 June 2016). "2016 adidas Eurocamp: Day Two". DraftExpress. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ "Joel Ayayi following his sister on the path to success". FIBA. 17 August 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ Meehan, Jim (27 April 2017). "French guard Joel Ayayi signs with Gonzaga". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
External links
- 2000 births
- Living people
- Beninese expatriate basketball people in the United States
- Beninese men's basketball players
- Black French sportspeople
- Centre Fédéral de Basket-ball players
- French expatriate basketball people in the United States
- French men's basketball players
- French people of Beninese descent
- Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball players
- Point guards
- Shooting guards
- Sportspeople from Bordeaux