SPOKANE, Wash. — A Sweet 16 loss to No. 1 seed USC marked the end of illustrious college careers for Kansas State All-Americans Serena Sundell and Ayoka Lee, but their futures remain wide open. “I’m a big fan of Sundell,” USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “I think she should be in somebody’s WNBA camp for sure, if not drafted.”

The leading scorer in school history, Lee returned to action last week for the start of the NCAA Tournament. She scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 15 minutes during an easy win over Fairfield. Then she had 16 points and nine rebounds in 28 minutes during a thrilling win over Kentucky.

And that's not counting a lost 2022-23 season when Lee didn't play at all ... Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network.

With the exception of a five-minute cameo appearance on senior day in late February, it took Kansas State women's basketball roughly two months to get Ayoka Lee back on the court in a meaningful game.

Lauren Betts, Ayoka Lee and Sedona Prince are traditional post players, and all have been in the middle of their teams making it to the Sweet 16 in the women’s NCAA Tournament.

Kansas State women's basketball coach Jeff Mittie talks about balancing NCAA Tournament preparation with the transfer portal opening this week.