2023 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Midseason Watch List
15 student-athletes representing 12 conferences and 14 teams named to watch list
Hopewell, N.J. (Jan. 18, 2023) – We are proud to announce the 15 members of the midseason watch list for the 2023 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award 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.
Below are the 15 watch list members, listed in alphabetical order by school. This year’s midseason watch list includes representatives from 14 schools and 12 conferences. The WCC leads all conferences with three watch list members. All stats only include games against Division I opponents unless otherwise noted and are through games on Jan. 17.
Destinee Wells, Belmont, Jr., G
2022-23 Stats: 16.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 4.2 APG
Previous Appearances: 2022 & 2023 Preseason Lists
Wells and Belmont have had one the most difficult schedules in the country, let alone among mid-major conference schools, and are hoping those challenges have prepared them for a successful debut season in the MVC. Even with a schedule with plenty of challenging opponents, Wells has been one of just 13 players in the country to average at least 16 points and 4.2 assists per game.
McKenna Hofschild, Colorado St., Sr., G
2022-23 Stats: 22.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 7.3 APG
Previous Appearances: 2023 Preseason List
Hofschild is on pace to do something that is nearly unprecedented, averaging at least 22 points and 7.2 assists per game. Since 2009-10, only one other player has done that over a full season: Caitlin Clark in 2021-22. Hofschild is also shooting an unreal 57.8% from behind the arc on 3.0 attempts per game. Since 2009-10, only Amber Rechis of FGCU in 2011-12 has shot at that high of a percentage on at least 45 attempts over a full season.
Abbey Hsu, Columbia, Jr., G
2022-23 Stats: 17.3 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.1 SPG
Previous Appearances: 2023 Preseason List
Hsu, after beginning her career with two great seasons as a freshman and sophomore, has hit a new level. She is on pace for career-bests in points per game, efficiency from inside and outside the arc, assists per game, and fouls per game.
Keishana Washington, Drexel, Gr., G
2022-23 Stats: 26.9 PPG, 4.1 APG, 1.2 SPG
Previous Appearances: First Appearance
Washington has been shouldering a lot for a 13-4 Drexel team that has yet to lose at home this season. Her 26.9 points per game rank second in Division I, and she also ranks in the nation’s top 3% in assists per game at 4.1. Her usage rate of 42.5% is the highest in the country, while both her assist and turnover rates rank in the top 100 nationally.
Brynna Maxwell, Gonzaga, Gr., G
2022-23 Stats: 14.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 1.1 SPG
Previous Appearances: 2023 Preseason List
A change of scenery and an expanded role has Maxwell looking like the type of player she was as a freshman and sophomore at Utah, scoring with elite efficiency typically reserved for only the country’s best post players, not 3-point shooting wings. Maxwell’s 1.31 points per play rank second in the nation, largely a result of her 11th-best 3-point percentage (54.4%) and third-best free-throw percentage (98.1%). That would comfortably clear the all-time Division I record of 97.3% from the stripe set just last season.
Yvonne Ejim, Gonzaga, Jr., F
2022-23 Stats: 16.1 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 1.0 BPG, 1.4 SPG
Previous Appearances: First Appearance
After starting just one game across her first two seasons at Gonzaga, Ejim has flourished in a starting role this season. Ejim has increased her scoring output by 6.0 points per game (16.1 up from 10.1) while also adding 2.6 rebounds per game (8.2 up from 5.6). She has continued to rack up more than one block and one steal per game while cutting her turnover rate nearly in half and lowering her foul rate to keep her in games for longer.
Kiki Jefferson, James Madison, Sr., G
2022-23 Stats: 18.0 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 3.5 APG
Previous Appearances: 2022 Preseason List
Jefferson jumps back onto the list after making last season’s preseason list. She has shown improvement in scoring efficiency inside and outside the 3-point line, averaging 0.17 more points per play (PPP) this season. That improvement moved her into the top 7% nationally in PPP after ranking in just the top 24% last year. She has also set career bests in rebounds, assists, and turnovers per game to round out her game.
Sam Breen, Massachusetts, Gr., F
2022-23 Stats: 17.7 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.8 SPG
Previous Appearances: 2022 Mid-Season & Semifinalist, 2023 Preseason List
Breen continues to produce at the level everyone has come to expect from the UMass super senior, on pace for her fourth consecutive season averaging at least 16 points, nine rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.5 assists per game. That would make Breen the only player since 2009-10 with four such seasons.
Savannah Wheeler, MTSU, Jr., G
2022-23 Stats: 15.5 PPG, 3.8 APG, 1.4 SPG
Previous Appearances: First Appearance
Wheeler is the second-leading scorer and leads in assists per game on a Middle Tennessee team that has gotten out to a 14-2 start including a perfect 7-0 so far in C-USA play. Wheeler has shown up in the biggest games, scoring 23 in a win over Louisville and 22 points in a win against in-state foe Belmont early in the season.
Katelyn Young, Murray St., Jr., F
2022-23 Stats: 20.9 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.5 APG
Previous Appearances: 2022 Mid-Season & Semifinalist, 2023 Preseason List
Young entered this season as one of the nation’s premier 2-point scorers and an incredible free-throw shooter at one of the highest volumes in the nation. This season, she has kept up that reputation while also growing into a formidable 3-point threat by shooting nearly twice as many threes (3.1, up from 1.6) while raising her 3-point percentage from 37.5% to 40.9%.
Alex Fowler, Portland, Jr., F
2022-23 Stats: 17.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.7 SPG
Previous Appearances: 2021 & 2023 Preseason
Fowler’s scoring efficiency has exploded this season, jumping from an impressive 1.18 points per scoring attempt last season (ranked 159th) up to 1.39 PPSA, which ranks 29th in the nation. Fowler has also upped her assists (3.6 vs. 3.1) while cutting down on turnovers (2.2 down from 2.7).
Isnelle Natabou, Sacramento St., Jr., C
2022-23 Stats: 16.5 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 1.3 BPG
Previous Appearances: 2023 Preseason List
Natabou has posted very similar numbers to her breakout sophomore year, which was her first season in Division I. She has upped her scoring average from 14.8 to 16.5, doing so on more attempts and converting at a higher clip. She also ranks in the top 2% nationally in offensive rebounding rate, and in the top 9% on the defensive glass.
Myah Selland, South Dakota St., R-Sr., F
2022-23 Stats: 16.7 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.5 SPG
Previous Appearances: 2021 Semifinalist & Finalist, 2022 & 2023 Preseason
After a shaky game in a loss at Montana State, Selland has gotten the Jackrabbits back on track, including a dominant 30-point performance in just 26 minutes against North Dakota. She followed that game up with an efficient 19 points, four boards, three assists, and three steals in a blowout win over in-state rival South Dakota.
Quinesha Lockett, Toledo, Sr., G/F
2022-23 Stats: 16.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.1 SPG
Previous Appearances: 2023 Preseason List
Lockett posted great numbers last year despite a dip in scoring efficiency compared to 2020-21 but has significantly improved her 2-point scoring efficiency this season to counteract that. Lockett has also grown as a facilitator, jumping from a respectable 656th in assisted shot rate last year to the top 100 this season.
Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu, USF, R-Sr., F
2022-23 Stats: 16.0 PPG, 12.2 RPG, 1.0 BPG, 1.1 SPG
Previous Appearances: First Appearance
On a balanced team with many key players, Fankam Mendjiadeu’s emergence as one of the country’s most dominant players has been a revelation for USF. She is one of just two players in the country (Angel Reese, LSU) in Division I to average at least 15.5 points, 12 rebounds, and a block per game 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 October, the 25-player preseason watch list was announced. 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).