MANHATTAN – Kansas State’s Ayoka Lee and Rachel Ranke were recognized on Wednesday by the Big 12 Conference’s women’s basketball coaches, as Lee was named a unanimous selection to the 2020-21 Preseason All-Big 12 selection while Ranke was an honorable mention recipient for the second straight season.
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.
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).
Joining Lee on the 2020-21 Preseason All-Big 12 Team were: Queen Egbo, DiDi Richards and NaLyssa Smith of Baylor, Ashley Joens of Iowa State, Taylor Robertson of Oklahoma, Natasha Mack of Oklahoma State, Lauren Heard of TCU, Charli Collier of Texas and Vivian Gray of Texas Tech.
After having her junior season in 2019-20 derailed after eight games due to injury, Ranke returns for her redshirt junior season on the verge of becoming the 43rd player in program history with 1,000 or more career points needing just 198 points to reach the milestone.
Ranke, a guard from Burnsville, Minn., ranks ninth in program history for career 3-point field goals made with 175 career connections. She owns the program record for career 3-point field goals made by a player six feet or taller.
In the 2019-20 season, Ranke played in and started eight games. She averaged 10.1 points per game and made 15 three-point field goals (15-of-42; .357). She also dished out 25 assists and pocketed 10 steals.
Joining Ranke as an honorable mention selection were: Kristin Scott of Iowa State, Zakiyah Franklin and Holly Kersgieter of Kansas, Ana Llanusa and Madi Williams of Oklahoma, Celeste Taylor of Texas, Chrislyn Carr of Texas Tech and Kysre Gondrezick and Kari Niblack of West Virginia.
K-State endured four season-ending injuries in the 2019-20 season which depleted the roster by early December. However, the Wildcats (16-13, 10-8 Big 12) tied for fourth in the Big 12 and won seven of their last 10 games in the league.
The Wildcats completed the season with a winning record for the sixth straight season. The Wildcats had their 2020 postseason destination derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which canceled the 2020 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship, the 2020 NCAA Tournament and the 2020 Postseason WNIT.
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.
– kstatesports.com –