Ayoka Lee Returns To Manhattan With Unfinished Business

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Sunday was a good day for women’s basketball.

In the afternoon, undefeated South Carolina played Iowa and record-breaker Caitlin Clark in the National Championship, drawing a record crowd to ABC.

Then, just hours later, Kansas State center Ayoka Lee announced her intentions to return to Manhattan for one year of eligibility.

We’ll let you decide which event is more prominent but the fact is that K-State left Saturday looking like winners.

“This is an iconic time in women’s athletics,” head coach Jeff Mittie said. “I think that we’re coming off a year where there were more eyeballs on women’s sports than ever before. … I think Yoki is one of those players that, going into next year, will have an opportunity to be the face of women’s basketball.”

Lee’s decision to return to K-State was not cut-and-dry. With a basketball skill set that will allow her to play professionally and a master’s degree, Lee weighed multiple decisions before returning to K-State for one last ride.

“It’s always good to have options,” Lee said. “I knew there wasn’t really a bad decision when I was kind of going through all my options. Had to think of some life and adult things, as you do once you get to your mid-20s.”

But in the end, Lee was drawn to one last dance, and a chance to accomplish some unfinished business.

“There’s a lot of goals we didn’t accomplish this year that we wanted to,” Lee explained. “So, just having the opportunity to come back and have another chance to do those was a big part of the decision.”

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According to Lee, she made the decision last week and informed the team, including Jeff Mittie, on Sunday night.

She first texted Rebekah Dallinger and Gabby Gregory about how much she enjoyed the Senior Night and wanted an opportunity to have an encore at Bramlage Coliseum. Then, she texted her other teammates with one goal in mind: a Big 12 Championship.

Last season, the Wildcats came up…

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Source link : https://kansasstate.rivals.com/news/ayoka-lee-returns-to-manhattan-with-unfinished-business?yptr=yahoo

Author : EMAW Online

Publish date : 2024-04-09 18:50:27

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