HOPWELL, N.J. — Yvonne Ejim and
Brynna Maxwell were two of the 15 players named to the 2023 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award Midseason Watch List, presented by Her Hoop Stats. The Becky Hammon Award was first given out in 2020, with South Dakota's Ciara Duffy being named the inaugural winner. FGCU's Kierstan Bell won the award in 2021 and 2022.
This year's midseason watch list includes representatives from 14 schools and 11 conferences. The WCC leads all conferences with three watch list members. Gonzaga is the lone team with multiple players on the list.
Ejim currently leads the Zags in scoring with 16.1 points a game and has recorded three double doubles already this year. She has scored at least 20 points in five games this season, including a career-high 32-point performance against Queens on Dec. 6. With her efforts so far this year, she has been named WCC Player of the Week two times, while she averages 27.9 minutes a game.
Maxwell has been averaging 14.8 points a game this year while being the best free throw and three-point shooter in the country. Maxwell is currently shooting 98.1 percent from the charity stripe and 54.4 percent from the three-point line to lead the nation in both categories. She has scored in double figures in 16 games so far this year as she has scored a three-pointer in every game. She has also been named WCC Player of the Week twice this season.
Award Eligibility & Schedule
To be eligible for this award, players must compete in one of the 26 conferences deemed to be "mid-major." The following conferences are considered high-major for the purposes of this award, and thus ineligible: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12, and SEC. In January, 15 players will be named to the midseason watch list. The 10 semifinalists will be announced in February, with five finalists being announced in early March. The winner will be announced in late March. The list is fluid and players may play their way on or off the list over the course of the season.
About Becky Hammon
Hammon was a three-time All-American during her career at Colorado State and led the Rams to the Sweet 16 in 1999, the program's only appearance to date. She was signed by the New York Liberty in 1999 and traded to the San Antonio Stars in 2007, where she played the rest of her career. Hammon retired in 2014 as a six-time All-Star and a two-time All-WNBA First Team honoree. In 2016 she was named one of the top 20 players in WNBA history and was recently named to the W25.
Hammon became the second female coach in NBA history when she began coaching for the San Antonio Spurs in 2014. Additionally, Hammon is the only woman to be a head coach in the NBA Summer League as well as the only woman to be a member of an NBA All-Star coaching staff. Currently, Hammon is the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces and won the 2022 WNBA Championship in her first season.
About Her Hoop Stats
Her Hoop Stats was founded in 2017 to unlock better insight about women's basketball at all levels. We began as a statistics site focused on providing consistent, reliable, and easy-to-access data about women's basketball for both mobile and desktop environments. Her Hoop Stats has expanded to become a leading independent voice in the women's game providing content through our newsletter, podcast network, YouTube channel, and social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram).
2023 Becky Hammond Mid-Major Player of the Year Award Midseason Watch List
Destinee Wells, Belmont, Jr., G
McKenna Hofschild, Colorado St., Sr., G
Abbey Hsu, Columbia, Jr., G
Keishana Washington, Drexel, Gr., G
Brynna Maxwell, Gonzaga, Gr., G
Yvonne Ejim, Gonzaga, Jr., F
Kiki Jefferson, James Madison, Sr., G
Sam Breen, Massachusetts, Gr., F
Savannah Wheeler, MTSU, Jr., G
Katelyn Young, Murray St., Jr., F
Alex Fowler, Portland, Jr., F
Isnelle Natabou, Sacramento St., Jr., C
Myah Selland, South Dakota St., R-Sr., F
Quinesha Lockett, Toledo, Sr., G/F
Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu, USF, R-Sr., F
