Naismith Award

In a season where defense has reigned supreme for the Kansas State Wildcats, one player’s ability to protect the rim has garnered national attention. Ayoka Lee, the 6'6" senior center, has been named a semifinalist for the 2024 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award, recognizing her as one of the premier shot-blockers in women’s college basketball. Lee’s defensive dominance has been on full display throughout the 2023-24 campaign, where she has swatted away opponents’ shots with remarkable consistency.

In a testament to her dominant defensive presence on the hardwood, Kansas State University center Ayoka Lee has been named a semifinalist for the 2024 Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year award, as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. This marks the second time in her illustrious career that the 6'6" senior has earned this prestigious recognition, having previously been a semifinalist for the same award in the 2021-22 season.