WBB: Ayoka Lee announces return to K-State
Kansas State center Ayoka Lee isn't done.
On Sunday night, Lee announced that she would use her final season of eligibility and return to K-State.
Lee's college career has been a rollercoaster, defined by high-level success and injuries.
She missed her true freshman season with an injury and last season with another injury. Lee also missed a brief period of this season with an ankle injury but returned for the Big 12 Tournament and NCAA Tournament.
This season, the Minnesota native averaged 19.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, earning All-Big 12 First Team honors for the fourth time in her career. In the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, she scored 21 points and grabbed 9 rebounds to lead the Wildcats to victory.
Lee's accomplishments don't stop with this season, however.
She's a multi-time All-American, a three-time finalist for the Lisa Leslie Award, and a two-time Big 12 All-Defensive Team honoree. That list of accomplishments doesn't include her NCAA record, either.
In 2021-22, Lee broke the NCAA record for points in a single game, scoring 61 points in a win against Oklahoma. She added 12 rebounds and three blocks in the game. That season, Lee averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Following another strong season, the WNBA was certainly an option for Lee. However, she did not appear on the WNBA's list of draft declarations.
Lee was not expected to be a first-round pick in the WNBA Draft but may have been a candidate to be picked in the second or third round.
Of course, Lee chose a different path: running it back for one more season.
Lee's return means that the Wildcats will return a core that returns four starters from last season's NCAA Tournament: Lee, Serena Sundell, and the Glenn twins - Jaelyn and Brylee. The Wildcats also return multiple bench players who played major roles for them, including Eliza Maupin and Zyanna Walker.
K-State currently has 12 scholarships used for next season between the returning players and their two incoming freshmen: Finley Ohnstad and Alexis Hess. Division 1 programs can utilize upward of 15 scholarships per season.
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