K-State’s Lee Named to 2021 Lisa Leslie Award Watch List
Nov 13, 2020 | Women's Basketball
MANHATTAN, Kansas – After an outstanding freshman season, sophomore center Ayoka Lee is beginning to attract national attention as she has been named as one of 20 candidates to the 2021 Lisa Leslie Award Watch List on Friday. The annual award is in its fourth year of recognizing the top centers in women's NCAA Division I college basketball.
Presented by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), the Lisa Leslie Award is named after the three-time All-American, 1994 National Player of the Year and Class of 2015 Hall of Famer.
Lee, a 2021 All-America candidate, enters her sophomore season as the number two returning rebounder and shot blocker in the Big 12. She needs just nine blocked shots to become the eighth player in program history to reach 100 career blocks. In October, Lee was a unanimous selection to the 2020-21 Preseason All-Big 12 Team.
As the 2020 Big 12 Freshman of the Year and a 2020 All-Big 12 First Team selection, Lee ranked ninth among freshmen in the nation and led all Big 12 freshmen in scoring with 15.7 points per game in 2019-20. She ranked second in the nation among freshmen and led the league's freshmen in rebounding at 11.4 per game. She also led all freshmen in the nation in blocks at 3.1 per game.
Lee, who was named the number two freshman in the nation during the 2019-20 season according to ESPN.com, ranked among the top-12 in the Big 12 in nine statistical categories and was tied for the league lead in double-doubles with 19. She was second in the league for all classes and fourth in the nation among freshmen in field goal percentage at .568
Lee was the first freshman in program history to complete a conference season with a double-double as she averaged 15.8 points and 11.7 rebounds.
She was the first freshman in program history with the combination of 400 or more points, 300 or more rebounds and 90 or more blocks. Lee established 13 Big 12 or K-State single-season school records including: rebounds by a freshman (331), blocks by a freshman (91) and double-doubles for all-classes (19).
College basketball fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. In early February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2021 Lisa Leslie Award will be narrowed to just 10. In early March, five finalists will be presented to Ms. Leslie and the Hall of Fame's selection committee.
The winner of the 2021 Lisa Leslie Center Award will be presented at on Friday, April 9, 2021, along with the other four members of the Women's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award, the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard Award, the Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award and the Katrina McClain Power Forward Award, in addition to the Men's Starting Five.
Among the 20 players selected as watch list candidates, Lee is one of five players from the Big 12 Conference on the watch list: Queen Egbo and Hannah Gusters of Baylor, Kristin Scott of Iowa State and Charli Collier of Texas.
Other candidates for the award are: Sara Hamson of BYU, Olivia Nelson-Ododa of Connecticut, Jade Williams of Duke, Ameshya Williams of Jackson State, Shakira Austin of Ole Miss, Elissa Cunane of NC State, Kate Cain of Nebraska, Janelle Bailey of North Carolina, Eleah Parker of Penn, Nancy Mulkey of Rice, Kamilla Cardoso of Syracuse, Antoinette Lewis of South Alabama, Aliyah Boston of South Carolina, Ila Lane of UC Santa Barbara and Elizabeth Kitley of Virginia Tech.
K-State was selected for a fourth-place finish in the 2020-21 Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll. The Wildcats will be led into the season by unanimous Preseason All-Big 12 selection and 2021 All-America candidate Ayoka Lee and Preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection Rachel Ranke.
Kansas State returns nine letter winners for the 2020-21 season. K-State also welcomes in graduate transfer Sydney Goodson, junior Makayla Pippin, redshirt freshman Jada Thorpe from injury and freshmen Taylor Lauterbach and Jada Moore.
The Wildcats will open its 2020-21 season with an exhibition game on Wednesday, November 25, at Fort Hays State. K-State will then begin a seven-game home stand in non-conference action on Sunday, November 29, against Southern at 1 p.m.
About Lisa Leslie:
Widely regarded as the best player in the country during her senior year of high school, Leslie decided to play basketball close to home at University of Southern California. While at USC, she set Pac-10 records for scoring, rebounding and blocked shots, earning All-Pac-10 honors each of her four seasons. In 1991, she was named national freshman of the year and went on to earn All-American Honors the following three seasons. In her senior season, she won multiple national player of the year awards, including the Naismith College Player of the Year and the WBCA Player of the Year. In the summer of 1997, the Women's National Basketball Association was launched and with it, Lisa Leslie became a household name. The Los Angeles Sparks landed the hometown star, who would go on to help them win two world championships. As an eight-time All-Star and three-time MVP, Leslie became the face of the WNBA. In 2002, she became the first player to dunk in a WNBA game. Leslie retired as the all-time leading rebounder in WNBA history and was an eight-time First Team All-WNBA performer. Internationally, Leslie won four gold medals in Olympic competition. Since retiring from professional play, Leslie has worked as a sports commentator and analyst for several networks, while exploring fashion modeling and acting as well.
About the WBCA:
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to those organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. For more information, visit us online: www.WBCA.org, follow @wbca1981 or call 1-770-279-8027.
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame:
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game's elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit www.hoophall.com, follow @hoophall or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.
Presented by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), the Lisa Leslie Award is named after the three-time All-American, 1994 National Player of the Year and Class of 2015 Hall of Famer.
Lee, a 2021 All-America candidate, enters her sophomore season as the number two returning rebounder and shot blocker in the Big 12. She needs just nine blocked shots to become the eighth player in program history to reach 100 career blocks. In October, Lee was a unanimous selection to the 2020-21 Preseason All-Big 12 Team.
As the 2020 Big 12 Freshman of the Year and a 2020 All-Big 12 First Team selection, Lee ranked ninth among freshmen in the nation and led all Big 12 freshmen in scoring with 15.7 points per game in 2019-20. She ranked second in the nation among freshmen and led the league's freshmen in rebounding at 11.4 per game. She also led all freshmen in the nation in blocks at 3.1 per game.
Lee, who was named the number two freshman in the nation during the 2019-20 season according to ESPN.com, ranked among the top-12 in the Big 12 in nine statistical categories and was tied for the league lead in double-doubles with 19. She was second in the league for all classes and fourth in the nation among freshmen in field goal percentage at .568
Lee was the first freshman in program history to complete a conference season with a double-double as she averaged 15.8 points and 11.7 rebounds.
She was the first freshman in program history with the combination of 400 or more points, 300 or more rebounds and 90 or more blocks. Lee established 13 Big 12 or K-State single-season school records including: rebounds by a freshman (331), blocks by a freshman (91) and double-doubles for all-classes (19).
College basketball fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. In early February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2021 Lisa Leslie Award will be narrowed to just 10. In early March, five finalists will be presented to Ms. Leslie and the Hall of Fame's selection committee.
The winner of the 2021 Lisa Leslie Center Award will be presented at on Friday, April 9, 2021, along with the other four members of the Women's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award, the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard Award, the Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award and the Katrina McClain Power Forward Award, in addition to the Men's Starting Five.
Among the 20 players selected as watch list candidates, Lee is one of five players from the Big 12 Conference on the watch list: Queen Egbo and Hannah Gusters of Baylor, Kristin Scott of Iowa State and Charli Collier of Texas.
Other candidates for the award are: Sara Hamson of BYU, Olivia Nelson-Ododa of Connecticut, Jade Williams of Duke, Ameshya Williams of Jackson State, Shakira Austin of Ole Miss, Elissa Cunane of NC State, Kate Cain of Nebraska, Janelle Bailey of North Carolina, Eleah Parker of Penn, Nancy Mulkey of Rice, Kamilla Cardoso of Syracuse, Antoinette Lewis of South Alabama, Aliyah Boston of South Carolina, Ila Lane of UC Santa Barbara and Elizabeth Kitley of Virginia Tech.
K-State was selected for a fourth-place finish in the 2020-21 Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll. The Wildcats will be led into the season by unanimous Preseason All-Big 12 selection and 2021 All-America candidate Ayoka Lee and Preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection Rachel Ranke.
Kansas State returns nine letter winners for the 2020-21 season. K-State also welcomes in graduate transfer Sydney Goodson, junior Makayla Pippin, redshirt freshman Jada Thorpe from injury and freshmen Taylor Lauterbach and Jada Moore.
The Wildcats will open its 2020-21 season with an exhibition game on Wednesday, November 25, at Fort Hays State. K-State will then begin a seven-game home stand in non-conference action on Sunday, November 29, against Southern at 1 p.m.
About Lisa Leslie:
Widely regarded as the best player in the country during her senior year of high school, Leslie decided to play basketball close to home at University of Southern California. While at USC, she set Pac-10 records for scoring, rebounding and blocked shots, earning All-Pac-10 honors each of her four seasons. In 1991, she was named national freshman of the year and went on to earn All-American Honors the following three seasons. In her senior season, she won multiple national player of the year awards, including the Naismith College Player of the Year and the WBCA Player of the Year. In the summer of 1997, the Women's National Basketball Association was launched and with it, Lisa Leslie became a household name. The Los Angeles Sparks landed the hometown star, who would go on to help them win two world championships. As an eight-time All-Star and three-time MVP, Leslie became the face of the WNBA. In 2002, she became the first player to dunk in a WNBA game. Leslie retired as the all-time leading rebounder in WNBA history and was an eight-time First Team All-WNBA performer. Internationally, Leslie won four gold medals in Olympic competition. Since retiring from professional play, Leslie has worked as a sports commentator and analyst for several networks, while exploring fashion modeling and acting as well.
About the WBCA:
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to those organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. For more information, visit us online: www.WBCA.org, follow @wbca1981 or call 1-770-279-8027.
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame:
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game's elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit www.hoophall.com, follow @hoophall or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.
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