10/28/2026 8:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
SPOKANE, Wash. – Gonzaga women's basketball junior Lauren Whittaker has been named to the 2027 Becky Hammon Player of the Year Award Preseason Watch List, Her Hoop Stats announced Wednesday.
Whittaker is one of 25 players nationally selected to the preseason watch list, representing 21 programs and 16 conferences. She is also one of two players from the Pac-12 Conference to earn recognition.
Whittaker enters her junior season following an impressive campaign with the Bulldogs last year. She scored 641 points during her first season at Gonzaga, while shooting 55.3 percent from the field.
The Becky Hammon Award, presented by Her Hoop Stats, recognizes the nation's top women's basketball player competing outside the ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten and SEC. Established in 2020, the award was most recently presented to South Dakota State's Brooklyn Meyer in 2026.
The 25-player preseason watch list will be narrowed to 15 players in January, followed by 10 semifinalists in February. Five finalists will be announced in early March, with the winner revealed around the Final Four. Players can be added to or removed from the watch list throughout the season based on their performances.
About the Becky Hammon Award
Named after former Colorado State standout and six-time WNBA All-Star Becky Hammon, the award recognizes excellence in women's college basketball. Hammon was a three-time All-American at Colorado State before beginning a successful WNBA career. She currently serves as head coach of the Las Vegas Aces, leading the franchise to WNBA championships in 2022, 2023 and 2025.
