Ifeoluwa Joshua Ajayi (born December 27, 1996) is a Nigerian professional basketball player. He played college basketball for South Alabama.
Early life and high school career
Ajayi attended San Gabriel Academy where he averaged a double-double his final two seasons. He averaged 16.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game as a junior. Ajayi did a postgraduate year at Cheshire Academy in Cheshire, Connecticut. He averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds per game and earned Class AA Honorable Mention All-New England honors from the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council. Ajayi signed with South Alabama out of high school.[1]
College career
Ajayi redshirted his true freshman season as a partial academic qualifier.[1] He averaged 10.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game as a redshirt freshman, and he scored 27 points against FIU.[2] As a sophomore, Ajayi averaged 12.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.[3] Ajayi averaged 16.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game as a junior, shooting 56 percent from the floor. He earned Second Team All-Sun Belt honors.[4] On November 12, 2019, Ajayi was named Sun Belt player of the week after posting a career-high 30 points as well as seven rebounds in a 75-69 victory over Southern Miss.[5] He was again named conference player of the week on January 20, 2020, after posting 24 points in a 74-68 win over Georgia Southern.[6] As a senior, Ajayi averaged 14.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, helping the Jaguars finish 20-11, and led the conference with a 56.2 field goal percentage.[7] He was named to the First Team All-Sun Belt as well as First-Team All-District by the NABC.[8][7]
Professional career
On June 29, 2020, Ajayi signed his first professional contract with Hermine Nantes of the French LNB Pro B.[8] He averaged 10.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. On July 8, 2021, Ajayi signed with SLUC Nancy Basket.[9]