SE: Lee With More to Write in K-State Career
Oct 14, 2021 | Women's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Ayoka "Yokie" Lee's accomplishments so far consumes four pages of a media guide. It's the similar treatment Darren Sproles, Jordy Nelson and Laurie Koehn received in their media guides long before their recent inductions into the K-State Athletics Hall of Fame. Right now, it's difficult for Lee or Kansas State head coach Jeff Mittie to put all her accolades and records into perspective.
Someday, that time will come.
"I saw Sproles, Nelson and Koehn inducted, and I think Yokie is going to be in that category," Mittie says at the 2021-22 K-State women's basketball media day event on Wednesday in the Ice Family Basketball Center. "Staying in the present and enjoying the college experience are the most important things right now."
Lee's list of awards and honors in the first two years of her college career stretches down the margin of one page, bleeds onto the next page, and onto the next page. The lists of awards, honors and records are necessary to put into perspective the rare nature of the ride.
Then there's the list of what she could accomplish down the road, a few more prospective mile markers along the way to the rafters. And, let's face it, there's a decent chance her jersey will one day hang alongside the likes of Kendra Wecker, Nicole Ohlde, Tammie Romstad, Priscilla Gary, Brittany Chambers and Shalee Lehning in Bramlage Coliseum.
Lee already is conquering that type of career.
"It's not something I ever thought about," she says. "I didn't come in thinking, 'Yeah, that's how I want to be known.' It's an honor and an opportunity to continue to grow and develop as a player. I do have more time here."
The question becomes exactly how much more time might pass and how many more shots might Lee make before she adds her name to the list of WNBA players to come from K-State?
"It's definitely an option," she says. "I probably don't think about it as much as I should, according to some of my coaches. I still have time here. That's what I tell myself. I just want to be present and do everything I can here, and that'll set me up for whatever I end up doing in the future."
Lee was the first freshman in K-State history to with at least 400 points, 300 rebounds and 80 blocks. She set nine Big 12 or school single-season records.
Then Lee became the first player in school history to reach at least 450 points, 200 rebounds and 45 blocks in her first two seasons.
Now Lee is on pace to have 1,800 points, 1,053 rebounds and 270 blocks in her career if she completes a four-year career. Only one player in K-State history ever reached 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. That was Wecker. Already with 29 career double-doubles, Lee should be close to catching Wecker's all-time record of 52 double doubles as well.
"She has great hands, a great feel around the rim, she's a great teammate, and she's a great representative of Kansas State," Mittie says. "I mean, she's everything you want in a player. She's a special talent down there, there's no question."
Lee grew up in Byron, Minnesota, a town of about 5,000 people and nestled approximately five miles west of Rochester. She was a member of the national honor society and class president at Byron High School. She also set several school records, including 2,287 points, 1,448 rebounds and 461 blocks, and was named a 2018 Miss Minnesota Basketball finalist.
"I didn't do much as a class president, but my peers voted me into that position, and now I have to plan a class reunion in six years," she says. "With it being a smaller area, I was really involved in a lot of different things in high school."
Among all her awards and honors, here's what is perhaps most impressive: She has already graduated from K-State with her undergraduate degree in psychology and is pursuing her master's degree in couple and family therapy.
Last season, she earned WBCA All-America Honorable Mention honors, becoming the first WBCA All-American in the Mittie era. She also earned CoSIDA Academic All-American.
"Sports are going to end one day, so it's important to have a plan for something I'm passionate about," she says. "Fortunately, it just worked out I was able to take dual credits in high school and to have that redshirt year and graduate, and now get to work toward my master's, and that they had a program that I'm really interested in. It's worked out really well.
"My ultimate goal is to be a sports psychologist."
Lee enters her junior season as a 2022 All-America candidate. She is a preseason candidate for every national award — the Wade Trophy, Naismith Trophy, Wooden Award and Lisa Leslie Award — for a second straight year as well. She's 66 points from becoming the fifth player in school history to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocks in a career. She's the only player in school history to record at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game, and she ranks sixth all-time in Big 12 history in field goal percentage (.593) and fifth all-time in blocks (140).
As a sophomore, she was rated as the third most-efficient player in the nation. She was also the only Division I player to shoot better than 60% from the floor and 80% from the free-throw line. She averaged 19.1 points, ranked third in the nation in shooting 62.1% from the floor, ranked fifth in the Big 12 in shooting 81.2% on free throws, and ranked sixth in the Big 12 with 8.7 rebounds per game, while blocking 49 shots.
Her favorite performance unfortunately came in an 80-78 loss to Oklahoma last January in Bramlage. Her 37 points were the most ever scored by a K-State player in a Big 12 game and the most ever scored by a sophomore. She also added 18 rebounds, becoming the fifth player in school history to register a double-double with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds. Her 15 made field goals in that game tied for the most field goals ever made in a conference game, tying a mark first set in 1990.
"The Oklahoma game — I don't remember exactly but that game surprised me because I wasn't aware whatsoever of the record," she says. "To be the first to have that stat line — I didn't expect it. I treated it just like any other game. That was cool."
Lee redshirted the 2018-19 season while rehabilitating a torn ACL injury suffered during her final state tournament game at Byron High. Ten days into her redshirt freshman season, she earned Big 12 Freshman of the Week for the first time. She ended up winning Big 12 Freshman of the Week 12 times. No other player in Big 12 freshman had ever won the honor more than nine times. Including Brittany Griner and Courtney Paris.
"I knew I'd have an impact but it's the Big 12 and there are a lot of good players," she says. "I didn't expect to have as big an impact, but it turned out that way."
And she's been impacting K-State and the Big 12 ever since.
In two seasons of action at K-State, she has become stronger, she's improved her speed, her footwork, and movements in the post. Mittie suggests a few ways that Lee can take that next step this season.
"I'd like to see her be more aggressive when she gets a step out of the paint," he says. "That's an area where she's too indecisive. I'd like to see her more aggressive when the double-team comes and that's something we're going to work on the next few weeks. We're going to have to be able to play well out of that."
For now, confidence might remain Lee's biggest challenge.
"Just being more confident, decisive a little bit further from the basket is the next step for me," she says. "It's what I look forward to improving. On defense, I need to be more confident in guarding anyone regardless of their position. I'm continuing to grow in that. I've got to stop the ball. That's probably the biggest thing."
Asked to describe her goals, Lee insists that she wants to leave no doubt.
"This past year, I was All-American honorable mention, and a lot of people count that as, 'You're an All-American,' and I say, 'No, it's honorable mention,'" she says. "Then as a team, we went to the NCAA Tournament my redshirt freshman year and I want to go back to the tournament. I don't think people realize how hard it is to get into the tournament until you're sitting down looking at all of the teams that could possibly get in.
"An NCAA Tournament is such an accomplishment. Just to put in that work and see it pay off, yeah, I really want to get back into the tournament."
At times, she grows quiet and clasps her hands together in front of her white No. 50 jersey when she talks about herself. Once in a while, she slightly bows her head, as if in contemplation, as if she's absorbing the enormity of her career for the first time.
"I strongly believe that you've never arrived," she says. "There's always some way you can become better. Putting my career into perspective is not something I think about on a daily basis. Coach talks about being where your feet are. That plays into it. I'm here right now, so what can I do right now to contribute?"
She pauses.
"I probably should be better at setting goals than I am."
And she smiles.
She'd likely exceed those goals, anyway. And break several more records that she doesn't even know about.
Ayoka "Yokie" Lee's accomplishments so far consumes four pages of a media guide. It's the similar treatment Darren Sproles, Jordy Nelson and Laurie Koehn received in their media guides long before their recent inductions into the K-State Athletics Hall of Fame. Right now, it's difficult for Lee or Kansas State head coach Jeff Mittie to put all her accolades and records into perspective.
Someday, that time will come.
"I saw Sproles, Nelson and Koehn inducted, and I think Yokie is going to be in that category," Mittie says at the 2021-22 K-State women's basketball media day event on Wednesday in the Ice Family Basketball Center. "Staying in the present and enjoying the college experience are the most important things right now."
Lee's list of awards and honors in the first two years of her college career stretches down the margin of one page, bleeds onto the next page, and onto the next page. The lists of awards, honors and records are necessary to put into perspective the rare nature of the ride.
Then there's the list of what she could accomplish down the road, a few more prospective mile markers along the way to the rafters. And, let's face it, there's a decent chance her jersey will one day hang alongside the likes of Kendra Wecker, Nicole Ohlde, Tammie Romstad, Priscilla Gary, Brittany Chambers and Shalee Lehning in Bramlage Coliseum.
Lee already is conquering that type of career.
"It's not something I ever thought about," she says. "I didn't come in thinking, 'Yeah, that's how I want to be known.' It's an honor and an opportunity to continue to grow and develop as a player. I do have more time here."
The question becomes exactly how much more time might pass and how many more shots might Lee make before she adds her name to the list of WNBA players to come from K-State?
"It's definitely an option," she says. "I probably don't think about it as much as I should, according to some of my coaches. I still have time here. That's what I tell myself. I just want to be present and do everything I can here, and that'll set me up for whatever I end up doing in the future."
Lee was the first freshman in K-State history to with at least 400 points, 300 rebounds and 80 blocks. She set nine Big 12 or school single-season records.
Then Lee became the first player in school history to reach at least 450 points, 200 rebounds and 45 blocks in her first two seasons.
Now Lee is on pace to have 1,800 points, 1,053 rebounds and 270 blocks in her career if she completes a four-year career. Only one player in K-State history ever reached 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. That was Wecker. Already with 29 career double-doubles, Lee should be close to catching Wecker's all-time record of 52 double doubles as well.
"She has great hands, a great feel around the rim, she's a great teammate, and she's a great representative of Kansas State," Mittie says. "I mean, she's everything you want in a player. She's a special talent down there, there's no question."
Lee grew up in Byron, Minnesota, a town of about 5,000 people and nestled approximately five miles west of Rochester. She was a member of the national honor society and class president at Byron High School. She also set several school records, including 2,287 points, 1,448 rebounds and 461 blocks, and was named a 2018 Miss Minnesota Basketball finalist.
"I didn't do much as a class president, but my peers voted me into that position, and now I have to plan a class reunion in six years," she says. "With it being a smaller area, I was really involved in a lot of different things in high school."
Among all her awards and honors, here's what is perhaps most impressive: She has already graduated from K-State with her undergraduate degree in psychology and is pursuing her master's degree in couple and family therapy.
Last season, she earned WBCA All-America Honorable Mention honors, becoming the first WBCA All-American in the Mittie era. She also earned CoSIDA Academic All-American.
"Sports are going to end one day, so it's important to have a plan for something I'm passionate about," she says. "Fortunately, it just worked out I was able to take dual credits in high school and to have that redshirt year and graduate, and now get to work toward my master's, and that they had a program that I'm really interested in. It's worked out really well.
"My ultimate goal is to be a sports psychologist."
Lee enters her junior season as a 2022 All-America candidate. She is a preseason candidate for every national award — the Wade Trophy, Naismith Trophy, Wooden Award and Lisa Leslie Award — for a second straight year as well. She's 66 points from becoming the fifth player in school history to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocks in a career. She's the only player in school history to record at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game, and she ranks sixth all-time in Big 12 history in field goal percentage (.593) and fifth all-time in blocks (140).
As a sophomore, she was rated as the third most-efficient player in the nation. She was also the only Division I player to shoot better than 60% from the floor and 80% from the free-throw line. She averaged 19.1 points, ranked third in the nation in shooting 62.1% from the floor, ranked fifth in the Big 12 in shooting 81.2% on free throws, and ranked sixth in the Big 12 with 8.7 rebounds per game, while blocking 49 shots.
Her favorite performance unfortunately came in an 80-78 loss to Oklahoma last January in Bramlage. Her 37 points were the most ever scored by a K-State player in a Big 12 game and the most ever scored by a sophomore. She also added 18 rebounds, becoming the fifth player in school history to register a double-double with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds. Her 15 made field goals in that game tied for the most field goals ever made in a conference game, tying a mark first set in 1990.
"The Oklahoma game — I don't remember exactly but that game surprised me because I wasn't aware whatsoever of the record," she says. "To be the first to have that stat line — I didn't expect it. I treated it just like any other game. That was cool."
Lee redshirted the 2018-19 season while rehabilitating a torn ACL injury suffered during her final state tournament game at Byron High. Ten days into her redshirt freshman season, she earned Big 12 Freshman of the Week for the first time. She ended up winning Big 12 Freshman of the Week 12 times. No other player in Big 12 freshman had ever won the honor more than nine times. Including Brittany Griner and Courtney Paris.
"I knew I'd have an impact but it's the Big 12 and there are a lot of good players," she says. "I didn't expect to have as big an impact, but it turned out that way."
And she's been impacting K-State and the Big 12 ever since.
In two seasons of action at K-State, she has become stronger, she's improved her speed, her footwork, and movements in the post. Mittie suggests a few ways that Lee can take that next step this season.
"I'd like to see her be more aggressive when she gets a step out of the paint," he says. "That's an area where she's too indecisive. I'd like to see her more aggressive when the double-team comes and that's something we're going to work on the next few weeks. We're going to have to be able to play well out of that."
For now, confidence might remain Lee's biggest challenge.
"Just being more confident, decisive a little bit further from the basket is the next step for me," she says. "It's what I look forward to improving. On defense, I need to be more confident in guarding anyone regardless of their position. I'm continuing to grow in that. I've got to stop the ball. That's probably the biggest thing."
Asked to describe her goals, Lee insists that she wants to leave no doubt.
"This past year, I was All-American honorable mention, and a lot of people count that as, 'You're an All-American,' and I say, 'No, it's honorable mention,'" she says. "Then as a team, we went to the NCAA Tournament my redshirt freshman year and I want to go back to the tournament. I don't think people realize how hard it is to get into the tournament until you're sitting down looking at all of the teams that could possibly get in.
"An NCAA Tournament is such an accomplishment. Just to put in that work and see it pay off, yeah, I really want to get back into the tournament."
At times, she grows quiet and clasps her hands together in front of her white No. 50 jersey when she talks about herself. Once in a while, she slightly bows her head, as if in contemplation, as if she's absorbing the enormity of her career for the first time.
"I strongly believe that you've never arrived," she says. "There's always some way you can become better. Putting my career into perspective is not something I think about on a daily basis. Coach talks about being where your feet are. That plays into it. I'm here right now, so what can I do right now to contribute?"
She pauses.
"I probably should be better at setting goals than I am."
And she smiles.
She'd likely exceed those goals, anyway. And break several more records that she doesn't even know about.
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