Former Byron star Ayoka Lee will have surgery, sit out season at Kansas State

Wildcats coach Jeff Mittie said Thursday that Lee, from Byron, Minn., intends to take a medical redshirt and return for one more year.

August 26, 2022 at 12:11PM
Kansas State center Ayoka Lee (50) shoots over Iowa State forward Morgan Kane (31) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, in Ames, Iowa. Iowa State won 70-55. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) ORG XMIT: IACN112
Former Byron (Minn.) star Ayoka Lee, who will have knee surgery and miss the 2022-23 basketball season, set a Division I record by scoring 61 points in a game against Oklahoma on Jan. 23.  (Charlie Neibergall, Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — All-American forward Ayoka Lee will undergo knee surgery and miss Kansas State's upcoming season, though Wildcats coach Jeff Mittie said Thursday she intends to take a medical redshirt and return for one more year.

Lee, who has dealt with lingering knee injuries the past two seasons, set a Division I record by scoring 61 points in a game against Oklahoma on Jan. 23.

She went on to average 22.0 points last season, setting the Kansas State school record, while pulling down 10.3 rebounds per game. The Wildcats reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Lee already ranks ninth in school history with 1,661 points, sixth with 887 rebounds and third with 235 blocks.

The 6-6 forward from Byron, Minn., graduated in May with a decree in psychology.

Lee said she plans to work on her graduate degree in couples and family therapy while rehabbing from the surgery. The school didn't specify which knee.

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