Courtesy of Kansas State Athletics
MANHATTAN, Kansas – K-State teammates Gabby Gregory and Ayoka Lee added to their preseason honors, as they have been named to the 2023-24 Jersey Mike's Naismith Women's Player of the Year watch list. This is the first time Gregory has been named as a candidate for the award, while Lee was named a candidate for the third time in her career.
Gregory, the Big 12 Conference's top returning scorer from the 2022-23 season, established career season-highs in every statistical category including: scoring (648; 18.5 ppg), field goals made and attempted (201-of-489), three-point field goals made and attempted (84-of-257), free throws made and attempted (162-of-193), rebounding (187; 5.3 rpg), assists (71; 2.0 apg) and steals (24; 0.7 spg).
The product of Tulsa, Oklahoma, ranked second in the Big 12 in scoring (18.5 ppg), third in free throw percentage (.839), sixth in field goal percentage (.411) and 3-point field goals made per game (2.4) and eighth for minutes played per game (34.21) She was second in the Big 12 with 19 games of 20 or more points.
Gregory, an All-Big 12 First Team selection in 2023, was one of five players in the nation last season to average 18 or more points, five or more rebounds and two or more 3-point field goals made per game. She was the first player in K-State history and one of four in the nation with 625 or more points, 160 or more made free throws and 80 or more connections from beyond the arc.
She ranked second in school history for free throws made in a season (162) and set the school record for free throws made by a senior in a season.
Prior to missing the 2022-23 season due to the rehabilitation from a knee injury, Lee was a First Team All-American by The Athletic and Sports Illustrated, a Second Team All-American by the Associated Press and USBWA, a Women's Basketball Coaches Association All-America Honorable Mention recipient, a finalist for the 2022 Lisa Leslie Award, a unanimous All-Big 12 First Team selection by the league's coaches and garnered her first selection to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team in the 2021-22 season.
Lee completed the 2021-22 season with career-highs in a number of statistical categories including points (727), points per game (22.0), field goals made and attempted (296-526), free throws made and attempted (135-175), rebounds (339), blocks (95), steals (39), assists (23) and double-doubles (20).
In her career, Lee ranks ninth in school history for points scored with 1,661, sixth for rebounds with 887, third for blocks with 235, sixth for field goals made with 665 and sixth for free throws made with 331. She is also second for double-doubles with 49.
In addition to this honor, Gregory was named to the 2023-24 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List which is award annually to the nation's top shooting guard. For the third time in her career, Lee was selected to the 2023-24 Lisa Leslie Award Watch List, present annually to the nation's top center. Fan voting is currently being conducted at hoophallawards.com.
K-State begins the program's 56th season of action to night, as the Wildcats host Presbyterian at 6:30 p.m. For tickets, call (800) 221-CATS or visit kstatesports.com/tickets.
Tonight's season-opener will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and can also be heard on the K-State Sports Network.