College basketball transfers are not only mind-numbingly common these days, but theyβre also usually pretty easy to figure out.
Usually either somebody βtransfers downβ to a lesser program when they arenβt playing as much or in the role that they (or their handlers) prefer, or they βtransfer upβ when they play well at a lower level and want a better rΓ©sumΓ© for pro scouts.
But James Akinjoβs transfer from Georgetown to Arizona last December didnβt appear to fall neatly into either category.
The 6-foot-1-inch junior point guard from Oakland was the Big East Freshman of the Year in 2018-19 and the Hoyasβ second-leading scorer (13.4 points) at the time of his departure early last season.
He led Georgetown in both minutes played (30.7 per game) and shots taken (89) when he entered the transfer portal on Dec. 2 last season.
He had a big role, on a big stage. And yet he left.
βArizona is just the right fit for me, the way I want to play. Thatβs it. Nothing else,β Akinjo said last week, when he spoke to local media for the first time since arriving at Arizona last January. βI love the school. I love the coach. I love the fans. I love the atmosphere here. So I was really excited to come on board.β
Akinjo has actually expressed plenty of interest in the Wildcats for years. He considered UA when he was at Salesian Prep in Richmond, California, before choosing UConn. He then flipped to Georgetown after the Huskies fired coach Kevin Ollie in March 2018.
Living in the Bay Area, Akinjo played for a well-regarded club team, the Oakland Soldiers, who had sent alums such as Stanley Johnson and Aaron Gordon to the Wildcats. He watched Pac-12 basketball and knew about the Wildcatsβ coach.
βI loved him,β Akinjo said of his first impression of Sean Miller. βI loved the school. I loved the system. I loved the way they played. I loved Arizona. Thatβs the way I look at them now.β
Only, from the outside, it wasnβt always clear what Akinjo was looking at when he decided to transfer to Arizona on New Yearβs eve.
On Dec. 2, Georgetown announced Akinjo and teammate Josh LeBlanc were leaving the team, while CBS reported that LeBlanc and two other Georgetown players had been the subject of temporary restraining orders.
Georgetown later clarified that Akinjo was not involved, and the NCAAβs approval of a waiver for Akinjo to play immediately this season appeared to be another indication that some sort of adversity was out of Akinjoβs control at Georgetown.
But Akinjo said last week the off-court issues were unrelated to his decision.
βNone of the allegations or whatever was going on had (anything) to do with me leaving,β Akinjo said. βI wasnβt involved, therefore I didnβt know too much about what was going on when I decided to leave. It was news to me just like it was news to you guys. There was a lot of other things that influenced my decision on leaving, but that (wasnβt) one of them.β
On the court, Akinjo was getting the type of minutes and shots that suggested he had no reason to complain (even if Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim did, saying Akinjo βwouldnβt pass the ball to anybody and just shot every time.β)
While Akinjoβs wasnβt shooting efficiently at the time of his departure β just 33.7% overall and 24.2% from 3-point range β it was a sample size of only seven games.
Plus, Akinjo hit 39.1% of his 3s the previous season.
UA coach Sean Miller defended Akinjoβs style of play and decision to leave. Miller had grown to know Akinjo as a high school player who led the Soldiers to the championship of the prestigious Peach Jam tournament in 2017 and as the winner of the 2018-19 Big East Freshman of the Year, an award Miller once won at Pitt.
βWe did our research and we know him very well,β Miller said in January. βYou know, people can certainly have their opinion of all of our players but we have to make our own decisions.
βWeβre incredibly excited to have him.β
During his preseason interview last month, after seeing Akinjo in practices late last season against Nico Mannion and in practices this fall often against Kerr Krissa, Miller had not lost any of that enthusiasm.
Akinjo is the expected to be the Wildcatsβ starting point guard, bringing the sort of skills and grit that Miller prizes to the position.
βWe expect a lot from James,β Miller said. βHeβs got an inner toughness that you either have or you donβt. He has it. And heβs always won. When he played on his travel team, he won the Peach Jam on the (Nike) EYBL circuit and Peach Jam is just a moment of truth for a lot of players and teams.
β(He also) played in a very, very good high school program for an excellent coach, against great competition, in California.β
Miller compared Akinjo to former Xavier standout guards Tu Holloway and Mark Lyons, the latter of whom also transferred to UA to play under Miller with the Wildcats in 2012-13.
βI think (Akinjo) brings a lot of leadership qualities, he brings a toughness to our team,β Miller said. βIf you remember Tu Holloway, he went on to have just an historic career at Xavier. He also reminds me a little bit of Mark Lyons. Itβs their personality, the way they play, not shying away from the big moment β I think James has a lot of those really good qualities to him.β
While the Wildcats didnβt have a Red-Blue Game or even an exhibition to show off Akinjo this fall, thereβs already some evidence of his impact behind the scenes in practice.
Junior guard Jemarl Baker, who is moving more off the ball this season in part because of Akinjoβs arrival, says Akinjo βdoes whatever is necessary to winβ in practices, whether itβs scoring, distributing or being vocal.
Kriisa, a 6-3 Estonian freshman who is projected to back up Akinjo at the point and play shooting guard alongside him at times, can already vouch for that βvocalβ part: Heβs been going head-to-head with Akinjo often in practice, finding Akinjo personifies the more rugged style of play heβs found so far after growing up in European basketball.
βEverything is more physical, especially going against James,β Kriisa said. βJames is on my (butt) every day in the practices. I havenβt really felt that before.β
Thatβs exactly the sort of thing Akinjo has been aiming to do.
And, maybe, finally, at the place he was meant to be all along.
Sitting out βhas been hard, but also really helpful for not just my game, but for me just growing as a player and as a person,β Akinjo said.
βMy focus has been learning the system here at Arizona, trying to be ready, to hit the ground running and continue to work on my game, getting faster and stronger and working on my leadership.β
When the Wildcats open their season on Nov. 25 against NAU, Akinjo, the Wildcats β and everyone else β will get a chance to view the results.