How Kansas State star Ayoka Lee battled past injuries to help Wildcats reach Sweet 16
No one would have blamed Ayoka Lee if she felt cursed.
The senior center missed eight games for the Kansas State women’s basketball team earlier this season with a foot injury. Then, after five grueling weeks of rehab, she triumphantly returned to action for a home matchup against Kansas, only to go immediately back to the bench ... with another foot injury.
At best, she was going to miss another two games and the Big 12 Tournament.
At worst, her college career was over.
Some were pessimistic about Lee’s injury outlook, especially when she opted for surgery and more rehab instead of rest. But her confidence never wavered.
“The game plan was to be back for the NCAA Tournament,” she said this week. “And here I am.”
Lee has not been blessed with a perfect bill of health during her seven years on campus. She missed both the 2018-19 and 2023-24 seasons with knee injuries. She missed 14 games this season with various ailments. The most games she has ever played in a season is 33.
K-State coach Jeff Mittie was so worried about her durability that he used the words “load management” with her during the offseason, a rarity in the college game.
But things worked out for both Lee and the Wildcats.
The leading scorer in school history, Lee returned to action last week for the start of the NCAA Tournament. She scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 15 minutes during an easy win over Fairfield. Then she had 16 points and nine rebounds in 28 minutes during a thrilling win over Kentucky.
Missing all those regular-season games cost K-State a shot at the Big 12 championship and a host seed in the NCAA Tournament. But Lee’s healthy return helped K-State when it mattered most.
Now, the Wildcats are on to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2002.
“I was relieved,” Lee said. “I don’t think I ever had a doubt in my mind that it wouldn’t get back on the court. But it was just a very bizarre situation to be in. After that second surgery, I was like, ‘OK, this is it.’ I was pretty confident that it was going to work out. Thankfully, it did.”
Things have worked out so well that Lee will be full-go for No. 5 seed K-State against No. 1 seed USC at 7 p.m. on Saturday in Spokane, Washington. But the Trojans are dealing with unfortunate injury news, as star player JuJu Watkins will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.
Few could have foreseen that turn of events when Lee was hobbling around Bramlage Coliseum in a walking boot for all those weeks.
Mittie was certainly concerned when Lee only lasted five minutes into her comeback game against the Jayhawks. How much bad injury luck was she going to have to deal with?
Turns out, it wasn’t too much for her to handle.
Seeing her celebrate after the Kentucky win made this week’s trip to the Sweet 16 even more meaningful, because it shows that Lee is healthy at the right time.
“I was just so happy for her and for our entire team,” Mittie said. “To see her kind of break down on the court after the game, it was pretty special to watch her have that kind of emotion with her teammates. Obviously, I’m glad it worked out and she’s been pretty good.”