A relative latecomer to basketball, University of South Alabama freshman Josh Ajayi took an interesting path to get where he is today. After emigrating from Nigeria at a young age, Ajayi lived with his grandparents while his parents stayed in Nigeria, and came into basketball on his own. He told USAJaguars.com his story, why he signed with South Alabama, and why he emulates LeBron James.

When did you start playing basketball?
I started playing basketball around fourth grade. When I moved to America, soccer was my first sport and I never played basketball in Nigeria. When I came to America, that was the first sport that I was introduced to and it just grew on me. I've loved it ever since.

Who pushed you to it?
My father played basketball when he was my age, but he didn't really introduce me to the sport. Even when I came over here, he didn't get me into it, I was exposed to it by myself. Basketball is a big sport here so I got introduced to it quickly when I got here.

What was immigrating to the U.S. like at that age?
My brother and I came to America when we were about 8 or 9 years old. I remember my mother called us into the living room in Nigeria and asked us if we had ever thought about moving to the U.S. Obviously as a young kid growing up in Nigeria, we saw a lot of American films so that was always one of our dreams to come visit, but we never thought we'd actually be moving. She asked us if we thought it was a good idea, we were excited and we told her we were all for it.

What brought your parents to America?
They just wanted us to have a better life. My mom has played a really big impact on my life because she's always wanted the best for my brother and I – living-wise, education-wise, everything. My mother she just wanted the best for her children, it's as simple as that.

What was it like when you first moved here?
It was very exciting, honestly. At first it was scary because going to school, you're the only African kid in class, you have the thickest accent in the class and kids would ask where you're from, but the school I went to in California was very family-oriented and it was a very tight community. I really enjoyed my time over there.

How did your move all the way out to California happen?
My brother and I moved, but my parents stayed with us for a couple of months then went back to Nigeria, so we stayed with my (mother's parents) for the past eight years in California. Our parents would visit about once or twice a year, so my brother and I were living by ourselves with our grandparents for most of that time.

Your grandparents emigrated from Nigeria as well?
They immigrated 20 years ago to California. That's what my parents are trying to do now – they're trying to get jobs so they can finalize moving to America. My brother and I are already situated here – this is our home – but for them, they had to work to provide for us at that time to go to school, so they couldn't leave their job. But now we're in college, they can finally make that move.

What was it like being that age, moving to a new country and leaving your parents behind? How did you adjust?
Honestly, it was really difficult. As a teenager, elderly folks, especially your grandparents, they can't really connect with you because of the age difference, so our grandparents really couldn't empathize with us, so it was really hard in the household. There was constant yelling and arguments. My brother and I, I don't want to say depressed, but we were sad for a little bit, because we didn't get to see our parents that much, and when they came, most of the time it would be just one of them. My dad would come or my mom would come, but it would never be both at the same time. They would stay for a max of two months, so it was pretty difficult. I remember crying a lot when my parents would go to the airport and I would see them off when I was younger. Obviously I've outgrown that, but it was difficult the first couple of months adjusting without my parents with me.

Did playing sports help you cope with this?
Definitely. I think if not for basketball, I don't know where I'd be right now. My brother and I never liked being at home, so we always looked for an excuse to get out of the house, so basketball was a good excuse. We were always involved in athletics at out our school, whether it was basketball, volleyball or soccer. That really took our minds off the fact that we were here by ourselves.

Were you watching a lot of sports at that time as well?
I was a really big NBA fan even before moving to America; my favorite player was LeBron James. When I first picked up a ball, I wanted to mold my game around LeBron James. He was the first basketball player I knew about, even in Nigeria. Even today, he's my favorite player. I was introduced to it a little bit in Nigeria because we didn't have a lot of games on TV. There's a lot more soccer than basketball.

Did you know anything about college basketball at that time?
I did not. I had no clue about Duke, Kentucky or those big powerhouses, who they were, or if they were good or not.

Take me through your journey to get to South Alabama.
I went to a small, private high school in California called San Gabriel Academy. Going to school there, it wasn't a big athletic school, in a sense. Our volleyball and basketball teams were decent, but it was never more than a couple wins here and there. We never really had players go Division I, so going to that school, I never had intentions of playing ball at the collegiate level. But when I started getting more accustomed to American culture, I started playing more basketball and my eyes started to open and I could see the possibilities that basketball could take me. Around my freshman year of high school, that's when I started thinking about playing at the collegiate level.

I started getting looks from colleges around my junior and senior year. That's when the program at my school started to turn around and get a lot more attention. My junior and senior years were probably the biggest improvement in my game, but to be honest, it wasn't really enough to land any big schools that I wanted to go to – it was mostly Division II schools and low-majors. I went to prep school for a year in Connecticut, and it's a totally different league over there; it's called the NEPSAC and it's very athletic and competitive. We had a really good team and I played really well and I started to get a lot of my looks and offers, and that's when South Alabama offered me.

Why did you choose South Alabama?
I remember vividly, my coach called me in and told me that the head coach from South Alabama wants to work you out. I went to the gym and he was watching me work out, and after we started talking a little bit and he started telling me how much he was interested in me and he basically offered me right there and then. He told me that as he gets back, he wanted to get me on an official visit as soon as possible. In a couple of days, I was on a plane to come visit. I loved it, and not because it was a good school, but the fact that the coaches were very persistent in getting me here. They showed me love early; a lot of schools offered me, but never invited me on an official visit.

What's the biggest thing you took away from your freshman year?
I've always been a really big guy – a lot of people mistake me for a football player – but I had to work on my ball-handling and my shooting. I had to lose some weight too. I came in the summer at 270 and now I'm about 245. All of that weight is gone and I'm a lot stronger. I've polished my shot and my dribbling. You see the game at a different perspective when you're not playing. You're observing a lot and you see things that wouldn't normally see if you were playing. I used that as a learning experience to better and learn from my teammates.

What was it like last year not being able to play?
At first it was really depressing. Obviously, coming in as a freshman you really want to play as soon as possible. I started thinking about it and came to the realization that it was the best decision that I could have made because I don't think I would have been ready last year. With the year that I sat out last year, I put in a lot of work in the weight room and on the court, and now I think I'm ready. It got me really prepared to play.

What part of the upcoming European trip are you most looking forward to?
Just the experience with the team. It's always nice to go to a different culture, especially Europe and a place as beautiful as Spain and Serbia. Playing is fun and all, but the experience would be the biggest thing I'd take out of this trip. Not a lot of people can say they've been to Spain and Serbia, so I'm excited.

How would you describe your playing style?
I would describe myself as a miniature LeBron James, if you will, just because I take pride in the fact that I'm a pretty strong guy and I put that work in the weight room. My physical stature makes me a force to be reckoned with. I molded my game around LeBron at a young age; growing up I always wanted to play like LeBron. One thing that has separated me from the rest of the players is I can shoot now. Players could sit and I could do nothing, so I worked on my shot a lot. I worked on my ball-handling, so I can put it on the deck and shoot and create.

What do you consider to be the strongest part of your game?
I would say my passiveness, in the sense that, I'm a team-oriented person. If I see a teammate open, I'm going to pass them the ball. I'm a very unselfish person on the court; I share the ball. I understand the game enough to know that you can't win by yourself; basketball is a team sport. I also take pride in finding my teammates on the court and get them open, or put them in a position to shoot or create for others.

What do you try to accomplish during the offseason workouts?
The thing I work on the most is getting better every day. When we go into the weight room, I go in there with the mentality to push myself 100 percent and reach new limits that I couldn't reach previously. That's one of the biggest things a player needs to work on.

What do you enjoy the most of the game of basketball?
I enjoy a lot of things. Basketball teaches great life lessons for young players. It's amazing to see how lessons you learn from a sport can carry over into real-life experiences and scenarios. You can learn things in basketball and apply them into other things in life.

Who has had the biggest influence on your basketball life?
My high school coach in California. He was the first person to see any potential in me whatsoever. In high school I wasn't really seen as a player that would go Division I or play at that level, but my coach was the first one to coach me to my limit and make sure I understood the game. I have a lot of respect for him and I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for him.

What do you expect of yourself this season?
I expect to bring a lot of physicality on the court and a lot of rebounds. I expect to be on the glass a lot this year. More than anything, defensively, I take pride in my defensive prowess, so I want to be the best defensive player I can be and the rest will come.

Quick Hits
Favorite NBA team: I honestly don't have one – wherever LeBron James goes, I go
Favorite college team growing up: I never really adopted a college team – I normally just watched college basketball just to watch it
Favorite sport other than basketball: Volleyball
Favorite musical artists: I listen to a lot of things – Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Erykah Badu, anything that sounds good, it doesn't matter what genre it is
Favorite class: Human and sports behavior
Favorite movie: "The Matrix"
Favorite video game: NBA 2K16
Favorite social media: Twitter or Instagram
Favorite TV show: Dexter or Game of Thrones

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