Born in the United States to Nigerian parents, Ayo Dosunmu is a first generation Nigerian-American. He comes from the Yoruba people in Nigeria.
High school career
Dosunmu began his high school career at Chicago's Westinghouse College Prep, where he helped lead the Warriors to a 2015 Conference Championship against Al RabyHigh School and scored a season-high 40 points against Crane High School as a freshman, earning Chicago Sun-Times All-City Accolades. Dosunmu transferred after his freshman year to Morgan Park. During his junior year, Dosunmu led the Mustangs to a 3A State Championship, despite getting hurt in the semi-finals. In his senior year, Dosunmu led the Mustangs once again to a State Championship in which he scored 28 points; breaking an IHSA record for points scored in a championship game. In March 2018, Dosunmu was named one of 26 high school seniors who participated in the Jordan Brand Classic on April 8, 2018, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Dosunmu is the third Illini to be selected to play in the Jordan Classic, joining Dee Brown who played for the Red team in 2002 and Jalen Coleman-Lands who played in 2015. Dosunmu was also selected to play in the second annual Iverson Roundball Classic All-American Game in April 2018 at Souderton Area High School outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During his senior season, Dosunmu averaged 25.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 2.7 steals, leading Morgan Park to a second-straight IHSA Class 3A championship. Dosunmu was also named a Consensus first-team All-State selection by the Associated Press, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Champaign-News Gazette and Illinois Basketball Coaches Association following his senior season.
Dosunmu made his college debut on November 8, 2018 against Evansville, recording 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting, with six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Following the season, Dosunmu was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team and was named as an honorable mention for the All-Big 10 Team. He averaged 13.8 points and 3.3 assists per game as a freshman. Dosunmu hit a last-second jump shot in a 64–62 win over Michigan on January 25, 2020, and finished with 27 points. On February 11, Dosunmu was injured late in a 70–69 loss to Michigan State. Despite an MRI showing no structural damage, Dosunmu missed the following game against Rutgers. In his return from injury, Dosunmu scored 24 points in a 62–56 win at Penn State. At the close of the regular season, Dosunmu was named to the First Team All-Big Ten by the media and Second Team by the coaches. As a sophomore, Dosunmu averaged 16.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.3 rebounds per game. Following the season, Dosunmu declared for the 2020 NBA draft. Dosunmu withdrew from the NBA Draft to return to Illinois for his junior season on July 31, 2020.
