Akinjo: Season in Reflection, NBA Draft Decision, UNC Loss

James Akinjo helped lead Baylor to a back to back Big 12 championship, 26 regular season wins, a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament.  In a season plagued by injuries, Akinjo epitomized the toughness that this Baylor team showed.  SicEm36,5 in an NIL interview sponsored by Bill Rosenberry and James Perry, caught up with James to reflect on his season and his decision to go all in on the NBA draft.  

Athlete+: James, let’s start with your first experience this past summer when you arrived at Baylor.  You come to a program that just won a national championship.  You have a few returning players from that championship team.  You haven't had an opportunity to visit Baylor prior to committing due to Covid restrictions.  What was that like when you first met your new teammates.  You have a reputation for being an alpha dog personality, was there any friction as you set foot on campus or did you develop good chemistry from the beginning?

James Akinjo:  My personality is not for everyone so yes there were some growing pains.  But I arrived on campus before everyone and the only other teammate there was Jonathan.  I think that was a big deal to work out with him.  He saw how hard I worked and I saw how hard he worked.   We developed a mutual respect and Jon helped me understand the culture and the personalities of the team a lot.  One thing I really appreciate about Baylor is that they told me from the beginning, “we want you to be you.  We aren’t trying to change who you are.” They worked with me to be a more vocal leader but ultimately I think the results speak for themselves of what we were able to accomplish.

Athlete+: You start off the season looking like a favorite to win a national title.  15-0 and you beat a lot of good teams in the process including winning the battle for Atlantis and a blowout win against a Final 4 team in Villanova.  After a road win at TCU, you suffer a tailbone injury in the Texas Tech game in Waco.  You shot 41% from 3 before that injury and around 20% from 3 after the injury.  I know you were fighting through some other nagging stuff the rest of the season.  Do you feel like that injury affected your shooting the rest of the way?

James Akinjo:  I'm not happy with the way I shot the ball this year but when I go back and watch the tape, I think I took good shots within the flow of the offense.  Blaming it on injuries would be a convenient excuse.  If I had it to do over, maybe I sit out another game or two and not rush to get back but I'm not really built that way.  I hate missing a workout or practice, much less a game.  

Athlete+: I know you are a big goals guy.  Are you happy with what you accomplished when you look back on your season?  Third team All-American is a big honor.  You are a first team All Big12 guy.  You led the Big12 in assists.  You finished second in steals per game.  I think your defense was underrated, I think you should have been All Big12 in defense.  Are you happy with what you put on paper this year?

James Akinjo:  I’m glad you mentioned defense.  I had some big shoes to fill in that area with Davion Mitchell.  But I took pride every night in making sure I kept my man out of the lane and made things difficult for the opponent on the defensive end.  I think I made tremendous strides in that area this past season.  We finished top 15 in defensive efficiency and I’m proud of that.  I would always ask to cover the opponent’s best guard.  There are some games I wish I could do over on the defensive end (you can look at who scored 80+ against us).  But overall, I love the way we competed on the defensive side of the ball.  

Athlete+: Before we talk about your professional aspirations, I know Baylor fans would love to hear about your progress towards getting your degree?  Where do you stand in that regard?

James Akinjo:  I have two more classes to finish to get my degree in sociology.  I was bummed that I couldn’t knock those classes out in the summer.  They are only offered in the spring of next year.  I’ll have to see if my schedule will allow me to finish up next spring.  A lot will depend on my situation professionally.  But I'm motivated to finish and would love to say I'm a graduate of Baylor University in the near future.  

Athlete+: Tell me about your decision to declare for the NBA draft.  I spoke with an NBA scout and he made the comment about you, “we know who he is at this point, he has nothing to prove at the college level.  He is definitely a guy that can get a two way deal and stick in the league.”  Is that the type of feedback you are also getting from NBA scouts?  Are you leaving the door open to return to Baylor or have you 100% decided you are going to pursue pro options.  

James Akinjo:  Yes, that feedback is similar to what I got.  I would say I'm 100% committed to the process of turning pro.  I loved everything about Baylor.  I grew a lot this past year.  My dream has always been to play professional basketball in the NBA.  I think I was able to show some things this past year that will help me.  I’m a confident guy and I love the challenge.  The next two months are going to be important but my goal is to make an NBA roster and then stick on an NBA roster bringing a level of work ethic and professionalism to the table.  

Athlete+: You played in some big time games and environments this past season, does anything stand out to you?  Players that you played against that impressed you?  Games that are top of mind?

James Akinjo:  #11 for Texas Tech was a beast (Bryson Williams), he gave us problems.  As far as guards, I didn't stay up at night worrying about who I was going up against.  I respect them but it was about what I expected.  Villanova and Kansas were a couple of special environments that were fun to be a part of at the Ferrell Center.  

Athlete+: Take us through the emotions of that North Carolina game.  You tie the record for the biggest comeback in NCAA history coming from 25 down to tie the game in regulation.  You make some huge plays down the stretch in regulation.  I think everyone in the building thought Baylor was winning that game in OT.  What were those emotions like?

James Akinjo:  We were salty of course.  Still are to this day.  We should have won that game.  We felt confident we would win it in OT.  That shot by Styles was a key shot for them.  We should have been able to overcome that but once they got the momentum back, we couldn’t find a way.  We did not play well in the OT.  

Athlete+: Final Reflections?

James Akinjo:  Thank you to James Perry and Bill Rosenberry for sponsoring these interviews and thank you to SicEm365 for doing them.  You all welcomed me as one of your own and I'm grateful for that.  I can't thank you enough for the love you’ve shown me.  Thank you to Baylor Nation, I know the season didn't turn out the way we wanted it to but hopefully you know that I put 100% into trying to keep this awesome program going the right direction.  I'm grateful to my teammates, my coaches and to everyone at Baylor that invested in me.  I won't forget my experience here, Sic’Em!