Trinity Tripod Athlete of the Week: Shay Ajayi ’16

JUSTIN FORTIER ’18
SPORTS EDITOR
Captain Shay Ajayi ’16 has been a tremendous force on the Trinity Men’s Basketball team this year averaging a team-high 13.8 points per game, expanding that number even more within conference play to 17 points per game on average in the NESCAC. Ajayi has been in the starting lineup for each of the Bantam’s conference match-ups. Looking even closer there has been a clear improving trend in his performance this year, increasing his average points per game from 9.8 in November, to 10.3 in December, 15.0 in January, all the way to a commanding 19.8 in February.
Since his first year on the Bantams roster Ajayi has made his presence known, commanding an average of 21 minutes a game his rookie year, growing to an average of 24.8 minutes this year. His hard work in the off seasons has been evidenced by a significant improvement in his free throw percentage; as a first-year he made 59.4% of shots, but now takes advantage of his time at the free-throw line and nets an impressive 78.8%.
This year, Ajayi has made 17 three-point shots and 123 field goals. On defense he has had eight blocks and 17 steals in conference play.
Ajayi measures up at 6-6 and weighs in at 210 pounds. He hails from Brooklyn N.Y. where he attended Medgar Evers Prepatory School.
Off the court Ajayi has shown his academic strength in the classroom, as well as in leadership roles across campus. Last year he was an RA in Highrise and this year he has been the mentor to the young men in the Smith dormitory. This past summer he was a Product and Marketing Intern at the Hartford Insurance Company downtown.
A leader in and outside of the field-house, Ajayi has proven to be one of Trinity’s most valuable players, and is certain to be a driving force behind the Bantam’s Championship runs in the NESCAC and National Tournaments this year.
As a team the players remain optimistic after a recent winning streak.