Ayoka Lee to Return to K-State
The 6 foot 6 twenty-three year old made the announcement recently that she will definitely be back for the 2024-25 season to help the womens basketball team at the prestigious Kansas State University in beautiful Manhattan, KS. As the NCAA record holder for scoring in a single game (61 points), Ms. Lee has a stellar career with many notable accomplishments. She has been with us and stuck it out since 2019. It is an honor and a pleasure that she has chosen to stay in town and bring the heat in the Big 12 again.
We've watched Ayoka grow, literally. From a skinny tall freshman to her towering strength and size as a senior, we have watched this powerhouse evolve into the likes that can stand toe-to-toe with anyone in the paint and the low post. Lee struggled a little this past season with an ankle injury, returning just in time for the post season, with the team ending up 28-6 on the season. The season's end came with a sound thumping from Colorado in a less than civil game. Matching up against someone bigger, as in CU's big lady Aaronette Vonleh, was something new for Ayoka and probably something that she can adjust to.
The mid-season injury for Ayoka served to bring out the strength of the other players, but the layoff was evident in the lack of the team's ability to coordinate fully upon Lee's return. Play was in disarray and not as sharp as in prior days, but we foresee a great off-season for Ms. Lee as she retools and refocuses on how to bring out the full power of the Wildcat machine. It needs to get leaner and meaner, literally. We can't risk walking into a physical buzzsaw such as Colorado again. Preparation for the new season should begin with intensive review of what went wrong in that game. But we are sure that Coach Mittie is all over the sitch.
So, the sun will continue to shine, and the world will turn. And we can rejoice that our queen is coming back. Thank you, Ayoka, and all the best to the rest of the team.