Ayoka Lee and Gabby Gregory give Kansas State women's basketball a potent one-two punch
SALINA — One of the reasons Gabby Gregory left Oklahoma was to team up with Kansas State All-America center Ayoka Lee.
Injuries have kept that dream from becoming a reality. A fifth year may be the perfect solution.
Gregory, who had missed half the 2021-22 season with a vocal cord injury, was in search of a fresh start in Manhattan while hoping to re-establish herself as one of the Big 12's most consistent scorers. Lee, in turn, saw the addition of a high-scoring guard as a chance to open things up inside.
The partnership was a natural fit.
"That was obviously the plan when we recruited Gabby," K-State coach Jeff Mittie said. "When we got Gabby, we wanted to add her with Lee because we needed a shooter, and we needed a player that could stretch the floor more."
Sadly, the duo has yet to see the court together. The 6-foot-6 Lee, who had helped lead the Wildcats to a 20-9 record and a NCAA Tournament berth in 2022, suffered a knee injury in late August that sidelined her for the 2022-2023 season. And while the team battled on without her, Lee's offensive production couldn't quite be replicated.
Related: Kansas State women's basketball loses All-American Ayoka Lee to season-ending knee surgery
"I think anytime you have a player of Lee's caliber that you lose on Aug. 25, you're not replacing that," Mittie said. "But the benefit of that is we had a lot of players like the Glenn twins (Jaelyn and Brylee) really get better.
"(Point guard) Serena Sundell, while early in the year she struggled, she played great the last 20 games. So we saw some good growth."
Gregory, a 6-foot guard who in Lee's absence last season took over much of the scoring load, averaged 18.2 points and 5.2 rebounds a game as K-State finished with a 19-17 record and advanced to the third round of the postseason NIT.
Better late than never for Ayoka Lee and Gabby Gregory
The prospect of teaming Lee and Gregory together on the floor didn't disappear entirely, it was merely delayed by 12 months. Both of them are back as fifth-year super-seniors, thanks to the extra season of eligibility granted by the NCAA in response to COVID-19.
"This is the team that I envisioned playing on and we're all super excited to have Yokie back," Gregory said.
Related: How one game changed the way opponents deal with Kansas State center Ayoka Lee
Lee, who averaged 22 points and 10.3 rebounds as a junior in 2021-22, highlighted by an NCAA-record 61-point game against Oklahoma, has yet to be cleared by her doctors, though they say she is right on schedule.
"We anticipate a July timeframe is when we'll be able to take some more steps forward," Mittie said. "The best news we continue to get is she's been pain free from the surgery."
Lee's injury was to the same knee she hurt before her freshman year, forcing her to redshirt in 2018-19.
"The rehab is going really well," she said.
Expectations are high with Ayoka Lee back
Assuming that Lee's recovery stays on pace, the Wildcats again should be nationally ranked in the preseason. Not only do they return both Lee and Gregory, but Sundell and the Glenn twins will be seasoned veterans.
The Wildcats also recently added a potential impact player in redshirt freshman transfer Imani Lester from Louisville.
Related: Kansas State basketball star Ayoka Lee scores NCAA-record 61 points in win over No. 14 Oklahoma
"I'm really excited," Lee said. "I think Gabby brings a certain energy that we haven't really had in the same way during my time here.
"And I'm really excited for Imani, getting her here just to have a true four (power forward), so I can play inside and shoot the three. Kind of get back to the kind of play we had with Peyton (Williams in 2019-20). I think it will be a really fun season."
The fact that Gregory is well-established with the program should help as well.
"It didn't work out as planned, but getting Lee back now, Gabby had a strong year," Mittie said. "I think the benefit of that is that Gabby was the go-to player this year, and she hit a lot of big shots and did a lot of really big things for us.
"And now we're going to have her and Lee both who have done that in their careers."
Gregory is ready for Lee to be back on the court.
"I think obviously Yokie will be a huge addition to the team we had this past season," she said. "I think everybody's role will be slightly different, but I don't think it's going to really change the way that we play.
"We can play a lot of different ways, but I think it will help Serena and myself not getting double-teamed and things like that. It opens up outside shots for our guard because she's such a huge presence inside. So everybody's super excited to have her back."
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State women's basketball has Ayoka Lee and Gabby Gregory back
