Ayudo Ayudo

Stand on Business: The Relentless Drive of Ayudo Ayudo

He started shooting free throws in grade three. Now he’s building a game — and a mindset — that can’t be measured in size, only in heart.

The first time Ayudo Ayudo picked up a basketball, it wasn’t for fun — it was for a challenge. “My older brother had me shooting free throws,” he says. “And every time I missed, he made me run.” Most kids would’ve walked away. Ayudo didn’t. “From there,” he says, “I started playing every day — working on my handle, my shot, and playing 1v1 every chance I got.”

By the time he made the senior team in junior high, he wasn’t polished yet — but he was addicted. “I wasn’t that good,” he admits, “but being around older, better players pushed me. I wanted to get to their level.” From there, the hunger took over. He started joining club teams, searching for competition that would stretch him, players who’d force him to level up.

His biggest challenge wasn’t effort or attitude — it was size. “I’ve always been one of the smaller guys,” he says. “Even after building muscle, I still felt small against some opponents.” So instead of fighting it, he leaned into it. “I accepted that’s who I am,” he says. “Then I started finding other strengths — my midrange jumper, my fakes, my jabs, the stuff that keeps defenders guessing.” He calls the midrange the most underrated shot in basketball — the kind of pull-up that makes a defender second-guess everything.

Setbacks don’t shake him; they sharpen him. “If I lose or get hurt, I convince myself I’ll come back stronger,” he says. “I write motivational quotes in my notes, visualize where I want to be, and accept the outcome. Rule number one is always to accept it — then fix it.”

What keeps him going is simple: love of the game. “I’ve always wanted to perfect my skill,” he says. “Even with all the self-doubt, I kept showing up.” His goals this season reflect that mentality — to become a two-way asset, someone who can change a game on both ends of the floor. “I just want to compete,” he says. “Get better every game.”

His long-term goals stretch beyond the ACAC — U Sports, then professional basketball. Not as a fantasy, but as a challenge. “I want to test myself at every level,” he says.

Success, to him, isn’t about stats or trophies. “It’s being the best version of yourself at all times,” he says. “It’s putting everything you had into something, leaving nothing behind, even if it doesn’t go your way.”

And while he’s serious about the grind, Ayudo still has personality to spare. He’s 6’5″, a skateboarder, and the type of guy whose walkout song would be “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” by Kanye West — because, as he puts it, “it just puts you in that stand-on-business mood.” Depending on the day, he might warm up to Drake, UK artist Headie One, or 50 Cent’s underground tracks.

Ask him for advice, and you’ll get something that sounds like a personal manifesto:

“If you truly love the sport, it becomes part of you. Eat, sleep, breathe it. Be willing to do something every day — even something small — to get 1% better.”

He pauses, then adds what feels like a quiet thesis statement:

“I want to be remembered as someone who gave it their all, fought for his teammates, and just loved to hoop.”

That’s Ayudo Ayudo — 6’5″, disciplined, and built on passion. The kind of player who knows the game won’t hand him anything — and that’s exactly why he keeps showing up, shot after shot, day after day, standing on business and chasing better.