From K-State Athletics
MANHATTAN, Kansas – K-State senior center and All-American candidate Ayoka Lee has been named to the Late Season Top 20 Watch List for the 2024 John R. Wooden Award, presented by Principal.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2024 John R. Wooden Award Women’s Player of the Year presented by Principal. Players not chosen to the late season list are still eligible for the Wooden Award™ National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award. Nearly 1,000 voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games. The Wooden Award All American Team™ will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2024 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Principal following the NCAA Tournament in April.
The two-time USBWA/Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week recipient this season, has had a strong 2023-24 as she is averaging 19.8 points on a career-best .677 field goal percentage, 8.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocked shots. She ranks second in the nation and leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage. Lee is fourth in the Big 12 in scoring average and leads the league and is eighth in the nation for blocks per game.
Lee, a Lisa Leslie Award Top 10 finalist, has recorded nine games this season with 20 or more points including her second career 20-20 double-double with 24 points, 21 rebounds and five blocked shots against Oral Roberts.
In her career, Lee ranks fourth in school history for points scored with 2,017, second for rebounds with 1,034, the school record holder for career blocks with 284 and owns the school record for career double-doubles with 55.
