Eric Ayala (born January 2, 1999) is a Puerto Rican professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Maryland.
 Ayala with Maryland in 2022 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 2, 1999 |
| Nationality | Puerto Rican |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
|
| College | Maryland (2018–2022) |
| NBA draft | 2022: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2022–present |
| Position | Point guard / shooting guard |
| Career history | |
| 2022 | Atléticos de San Germán |
| 2022–2023 | Keflavík |
High school career
editAyala played basketball for Sanford School in Hockessin, Delaware. After his sophomore season, he transferred to Putnam Science Academy in Putnam, Connecticut.[1] Ayala played a postgraduate season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.[2] A consensus four-star recruit, he committed to playing college basketball for Maryland over offers from Miami (Florida) and Oregon.[3]
College career
edit
As a freshman, Ayala became a regular starter at Maryland, averaging 8.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.[4] In his sophomore season, he averaged 8.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, shooting 35.8 percent from the field.[5] In his junior season, he became his team's primary point guard with the departure of Anthony Cowan Jr.[6] Ayala averaged 15.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game as a junior, earning All-Big Ten honorable mention. He declared for the 2021 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility, before ultimately returning.[7] Ayala was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten by the media as a senior.[8]
Professional career
editIn September 2022, Ayala signed with Keflavík of the Icelandic Úrvalsdeild karla after originally having signed with Sopron during the summer.[9]
National team career
editAyala represented Puerto Rico at the 2015 FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship in Argentina, averaging 19.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.[10]
Career statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | Maryland | 34 | 33 | 29.0 | .430 | .406 | .774 | 2.9 | 2.1 | .3 | .3 | 8.6 |
| 2019–20 | Maryland | 31 | 20 | 27.8 | .358 | .274 | .725 | 2.9 | 2.5 | .4 | .1 | 8.5 |
| 2020–21 | Maryland | 29 | 28 | 33.6 | .437 | .337 | .831 | 4.3 | 2.2 | 1.2 | .1 | 15.1 |
| 2021–22 | Maryland | 31 | 29 | 33.4 | .383 | .339 | .688 | 4.6 | 2.1 | 0.8 | .1 | 14.7 |
| Career | 125 | 110 | 30.9 | .402 | .337 | .758 | 3.7 | 2.2 | .6 | .2 | 11.6 | |
References
edit- ^ Price, Betsy (January 13, 2021). "Sanford's Ayala takes unique journey to lead Maryland program as junior". Delaware Live. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
- ^ Markus, Don (January 31, 2019). "From latchkey kid to lead guard, Maryland's Eric Ayala has always been mature for his age". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
- ^ Horn, Brittany (October 14, 2017). "Wilmington native chooses Maryland for college hoops career". The News Journal. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
- ^ Markus, Don (January 14, 2020). "Maryland's Eric Ayala calm, confident despite season-long shooting slump: 'He always stays balanced'". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
- ^ Donohue, Pat (November 27, 2020). "Ayala ready to replace Cowan for Maryland with some help from newcomers". Rivals. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
- ^ Ermann, Jeff (September 30, 2020). "Ayala on replacing Cowan, Terps roster and more". 247Sports. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
- ^ Rosh, Lauren (April 9, 2021). "Maryland basketball's Eric Ayala enters NBA Draft, will retain eligibility". Testudo Times. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
- ^ "2021-22 Big Ten Men's Basketball Postseason Honors Announced" (Press release). Big Ten Conference. March 8, 2022. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ Sindri Sverrisson (22 September 2022). "Keflavík frumsýnir Bandaríkjamann í kvöld". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 22 September 2022.
- ^ Myers, Brad (June 16, 2015). "Sanford's Eric Ayala excels on international stage". The News Journal. Retrieved May 30, 2021.