On February 23, 2018, a reported FBI wiretap revealed Arizona's head coach, Sean Miller, allegedly talked with Christian Dawkins (a key figure involved in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball corruption scandal) to discuss paying Ayton $100,000 to allow him to enter the university, with the monetary situation being dealt with directly to him. However, while Ayton had some great successes during his freshman season, there were also controversies mired during his last few months there. He had also recorded 17 20-point games and 23 double-doubles through 34 games. On January 20, 2018, against Stanford, he blocked 6 shots, which tied him for most in Arizona freshman single game history. On December 30, 2017, against the in-state rival Arizona State Sun Devils, he recorded 19 rebounds, which would be a season-high at the time. On December 9, 2017, Ayton recorded what was, at the time, a season-high 29 points and 18 rebounds in an 88–82 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide. Throughout his college career, he was used as a power forward instead of center Dušan Ristić was Arizona's starting center instead. His 19 points was 7th most for a freshman in an Arizona debut. Retrieved September 6, 2016.Īyton made his debut with the University of Arizona on November 10, 2017, recording 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks in a 101–67 win over the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. "2017 Arizona Wildcats Recruiting Class"."Arizona 2017 Basketball Commitments".In these cases, the average was taken.Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 5 Rivals: 3 247Sports: 4 ESPN: 3 Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 97 US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes On September 6, 2016, he committed to play for the Arizona Wildcats, and signed his letter of intent. Ayton had narrowed his choices between three schools: Arizona, Kansas and Kentucky. In 2015, he was ranked by Scout as the top prospect in all of high school in their "Ultimate 100" list. He was rated as a five-star recruit and the No. RecruitingĪyton was considered one of the top prospects in the 2017 recruiting class by, , and ESPN. While representing the World Select team, Ayton played at the 2016 Nike Hoop Summit, chipping in with eight points to go along with seven rebounds. He led Hillcrest to a Grind Session World Championship, earning Finals MVP and season MVP. Throughout his junior year, Ayton averaged 29.2 points, 16.7 rebounds, 3.8 blocks per game.Īs a senior in 2016–17, Ayton led Hillcrest to a 33–6 record and national rankings across multiple outlets while averaging 26 points, 15 rebounds and 3.5 blocks. During this high school year, he became teammates with another top-tier Class of 2017 player in 2018's #2 pick Marvin Bagley III. Īyton in 2015–16, his junior year, transferred to Hillcrest Prep Academy in Phoenix, Arizona to play out his last two years. That summer, he averaged 16.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks a game for Supreme Court AAU (California) on the Under Armour circuit. He racked up double-doubles in 21 of 22 regular season games. As a sophomore in 2014–15, Ayton led Balboa to a 17–14 record, averaging 21 points, 16 rebounds and 6.9 blocks per game. Ayton moved from the Bahamas to San Diego, California to play high school basketball.Īyton attended Balboa School in California and started on the varsity basketball team for two years. In 2021, he helped lead the Suns to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1993.Īyton's father is Nigerian and his mother is of Jamaican and Bahamian heritage. Ayton was selected with the first overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft by the Suns and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2019. A consensus five-star prospect in the Class of 2017 and a McDonald's All-American, he played one season of college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats, where he was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year. (born July 23, 1998) is a Bahamian professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Consensus first-team All-American ( 2018)ĭeandre Edoneille Ayton Sr.Ayton during the 2017 McDonald's All-American Game
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