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When Kansas State women's basketball takes the court in the NCAA Tournament this week, they'll welcome the return of Ayoka Lee.
The Wildcats, a No. 5 seed in the Spokane Regional, will play No. 13 seed Fairfield in the Round of 64 in Lexington, Ky, and Lee, who has the second half of the regular season and the entirety of the Big 12 Tournament, is set to return.
"Better than I expected," head coach Jeff Mittie said about her progress. "Thursday, Friday we went back-to-back, which I didn't think she would go Friday because we went heavy Thursday. So, that was a pleasant surprise to me because I was about the back-to-back."
Mittie continued to explain that Lee practiced on Sunday before the NCAA Tournament Selection Show and "did not step out of a drill."
Lee, who played in 19 games this season, suffered a foot fracture on Jan. 19 against Arizona State. She returned about a month later to play five minutes in a 30-point win against Kansas but underwent a procedure on her other leg that kept her out of the Big 12 Tournament.
K-State reported that Lee would be ready for the start of the NCAA Tournament at that time, and she warmed up in Kansas City before the Wildcats's game against West Virginia. Last week, videos were posted of Lee practicing, further confirming the belief that she would be ready for the tournament.
"I'm feeling good," Lee said. "It's been a good progression."
With Lee's college career winding down, Mittie mentioned that Lee's tentative plan is to play as much as her body tolerates. She'll need breaks throughout the game, but Mittie hopes they can time those breaks around media timeouts, giving her additional rest without missing game time.
"I think you're on whatever restriction you can gut out. ... I would say from a playing well restriction, she's probably not able to go long stretches without a rest," said Mittie. "We're probably going to have to rest her, but that's just me being smart, getting her breaks before the media. Getting her breaks at the end of the quarter so that her breaks aren't actual live game minutes."
When Lee needs a rest, the Wildcats will likely turn to the combination of Imani Lester and Kennedy Taylor.
Taylor has started most of the games with Lee out and has impressed in that role. Taylor scored 21 points against West Virginia in the Big 12 Tournament, making all nine of her field goal attempts. She's averaging 7.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game this season.
Lester only averages about 11 minutes per game this season but assumed a more significant role with Lee sidelined. Lester scored eight points off the bench in their Big 12 Tournament opener against UCF.
"In the tournament, the win or home, we're gonna have to have people step up that are different than just people that do it every night," said Mittie. "There's always great Tournament stories, whether it be the three-point shooter that has their night where they have six or seven threes or a player that maybe averages six points a game that goes for 18 or 19.
"Kennedy has shown that kind of ability. Certainly, with Lee back, we're excited about that. But we're also excited about the fact that we don't have the drop-off when we sub. The benefit has been that her and Lester have both been in the fire since Lee's injury."
Lee's return to the floor has also boosted her teammates. It's no secret that Lee, the program's leader in career points, is the engine that makes K-State go. While they could hold their own in games without her, they missed her presence.
"She's just such a big role for our team," senior guard Serena Sundell said. "The way we see the court, the way I see the court, the way we can have different reads and things open up. It's completely different.
"I've felt really good about our last practices with her in it. I think she just brings up everyone around her."
The Wildcats will play Fairfield, who won the MAAC Championship, on Friday afternoon. The game will tentatively tip off at 1:30 p.m. on ESPNews.
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