DeAndre Ayton was a first-team All-American and led Arizona to Pac-12 regular season and tournament titles in his one season with the Wildcats. Earlier this week, Eric Bossi of 247Sports named Ayton as one of "The top 15 high school centers of the last 25 years."
Ayton signed with Arizona after a dominant career at Phoenix Hillcrest Prep. As a senior, Ayton averaged 23.5 points, 13.6 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game. That was after a junior season that Ayton averaged 29.2 PPG, 16.7 RPG and 3.8 BPG. Ayton was truly one of the most dominant high school centers of at least his era.
Arizona was 27-8 overall, 14-4 in the Pac-12 and won all three of its Pac-12 Tournament games by double figures in Ayton's lone season with the Wildcats. Arizona signed Ayton as the third-ranked prospect, second power forward and second player in Arizona out of Phoenix Hillcrest Prep in the 2017 class.
Ayton was a 2017 McDonald's All-American, the 2017 Karl Malone Award winner as the best Power Forward in College Basketball, first-team All-Pac 12, the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and Pac-12 Tournament's Most Outstanding Player. The one season for Ayton at Arizona was one of the best in program history.
"Before he had even entered high school, DeAndre Ayton announced himself as a national presence. During June of 2013, the then 6-foot-9 showed up at the Pangos All-American Camp and more than held his own against players three and four years older than him.Eric Bossi, 247Sports
Ayton only got better and bigger...He went on to complete a dominant high school career. During his one year at Arizona, he was the Pac-12 Player of the Year and first-team All-American. He averaged 20.1 points and 11.6 rebounds a game in one of the more dominant single seasons a college big man has had in the last 25 years. Ayton ended up going No. 1 in the 2018 NBA Draft."
Ayton had the fourth-highest scoring season in Arizona history with 704 points, set the program record with 405 rebounds in a season and the eighth-highest total with 66 blocked shots. Derrick Williams preceded Ayton as the first Arizona big-man to be named an All-American in 2010-11.
Ayton signed with Arizona after four 247Sports crystal balls projected him to Kansas and one to Kentucky. Michael Porter Jr. who signed with Missouri was the top 2017 prospect and Marvin Bagley III who signed with Duke was the second-highest-rated recruit as the only players ahead of Ayton.
Bagley III was the only power forward ranked ahead of Ayton in the 2017 class and was the second pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Porter Jr. was the 14th pick of the 2018 NBA Draft and became an NBA Champion with the Denver Nuggets during the 2023 season. Ayton and Bagley were named to the 2017-17 NBA All-Rookie team.
Ayton finished his rookie season averaging 16.3 PPG, 10.3 RPG and shooting 58.5 percent from the floor while playing in 71 games with 70 starts. In his NBA debut, Ayton scored 18 points on 8-11 from the floor with 10 rebounds, six assists, one block and one steal as Phoenix defeated Dallas 121-100.
Ayton was stellar in his first NBA Playoffs averaging 15.8 PPG, 11.8 RPG and 1.1 BPG while shooting 65.8 percent from the floor. Phoenix advanced to the NBA Finals before losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games. Ayton will always remain one of the best players to ever play for Arizona.