2024 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Semifinalists

10 student-athletes representing nine conferences named semifinalists

Hopewell, N.J. (February 14, 2024) – We are proud to announce the 10 semifinalists for the 2024 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, and Massachusetts’ Sam Breen won the most recent award in 2023.

This year’s list of semifinalists includes representatives from 10 teams and nine conferences. The Mountain West was the lone conference with two semifinalists, marking the sixth time a conference has placed multiple players on the same semifinalist list. The Mountain West also placed multiple players on last season’s semifinalist list, so it is now the only conference to do so twice.

FGCU becomes the first team to have three different players named to at least one semifinalist list, as Emani Jefferson joins two-time semifinalist Kierstan Bell and Keri Jewett-Giles. Four players–Yvonne Ejim, McKenna Hofschild, Abbey Hsu, and Desi-Rae Young–became two-time semifinalists, bringing that list to nine players in the award’s history. Fairfield’s Meghan Andersen becomes the first freshman to ever be named a semifinalist.

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Graphic Courtesy of Morgan Reeder

Izzy Higginbottom, Arkansas St., Jr., G
2023-24 Stats: 23.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.5 SPG
Previous Appearances: 2024 Midseason

Higginbottom scores with efficiency from every level, but she especially stands out as a high-volume and high-efficiency free-throw shooter. Higginbottom leads the nation in made free throws (159) and ranks seventh in free-throw percentage (91.4%) among qualified players. In the HHS Era (since 2009-10), the only other player to average at least seven free throws per game on at least 90% efficiency was Elena Delle Donne in 2010-11.

McKenna Hofschild, Colorado St., Gr., G
2023-24 Stats: 24.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 7.2 APG, 1.2 SPG
Previous Appearances: 2024 Preseason & Midseason, 2023 Preseason, Midseason & Semifinalist

Hofschild has somehow leveled up her play from last season, upping her scoring average by more than three points and still managing to increase her assisted shot rate to higher than 50%. Only two other players in the HHS Era have assisted on at least 50% of their teammates’ made baskets while on the floor: Syracuse’s Tiana Mangakahia (twice) and Winthrop’s Dequesha McClanahan (min. 20 games played).

Abbey Hsu, Columbia, Sr., G
2023-24 Stats: 21.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.5 SPG
Previous Appearances: 2024 Preseason & Midseason, 2023 Preseason, Midseason & Semifinalist

Hsu, who is now one of nine players to be named a semifinalist for the award twice–and the first Ivy League player to do so–is leading the Lions to another strong season in the upper ranks of the Ivy League. Hsu has averaged 3.5 more points per game and nearly four more rebounds per game than last season.

Katie Dinnebier, Drake, Jr., G
2023-24 Stats: 18.7 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 6.5 APG, 2.6 SPG
Previous Appearances: 2024 Preseason & Midseason

Dinnebier has stepped up significantly for Drake this season, helping to replace some of the scoring the Bulldogs lost in the offseason. Dinnebier is averaging seven more points per game this season, jumping from the top 16% nationally into the top 1%, joining Hofschild and Caitlin Clark as the only players averaging at least 18 points and 6.5 assists per game.

Meghan Andersen, Fairfield, Fr., Road Runner
2023-24 Stats: 16.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.4 BPG, 1.1 SPG
Previous Appearances: 2024 Midseason

Andersen, the first freshman to be named a semifinalist in the award’s history, is one of the nation’s most efficient volume scorers thanks to her ability to score at every level. Andersen is on pace to become the first player in the HHS Era to shoot at least 65% from 2-point range, 35% from deep, and 90% from the free-throw line (min. 15 PPG, 20 games played).

Emani Jefferson, FGCU, R-Jr., Shooter
2023-24 Stats: 17.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.8 SPG
Previous Appearances: First Appearance

Jefferson is the lone player not on the midseason watch list to make the list of semifinalists. She has been crucial for FGCU since making her season debut on Dec. 7, as her 0.30 win shares per 40 minutes rank eighth in the nation.

Yvonne Ejim, Gonzaga, Sr., F
2023-24 Stats: 20.3 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.2 BPG, 1.3 SPG
Previous Appearances: 2024 Preseason & Midseason, 2023 Midseason, Semifinalist, & Finalist

Ejim has been the anchor for the nation’s top mid-major team all season, leading the Zags in scoring, rebounding, and shot-blocking while ranking second in steals and third in assists. She is on pace to join Napheesa Collier (2016-17) as the only two players in the HHS Era to average at least 20 points, eight rebounds, and one steal on 65% shooting (min. 20 games played).

Diamond Johnson, Norfolk St., Sr., G
2023-24 Stats: 19.8 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.5 APG, 4.2 SPG
Previous Appearances: 2024 Preseason & Midseason

Johnson has made the most of her opportunity this season since the NCAA allowed multi-time transfers to play starting in mid-December, putting up gaudy numbers through her first 11 games. She won’t have enough games to qualify for official NCAA leaderboards, but Johnson joins is one of three players averaging at least four steals per game.

Desi-Rae Young, UNLV, Sr., C
2023-24 Stats: 19.4 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.3 SPG
Previous Appearances: 2024 Preseason & Midseason, 2023 Semifinalist

Young has been one of the nation’s most consistently good post players in the nation over the past three seasons; she is one of just two players (Angel Reese) to average at least 15 points, eight rebounds, and 1.5 assists in each season since 2021-22.

Rachael Rose, Wofford, Jr., G
2023-24 Stats: 24.0 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 6.2 APG, 2.1 SPG
Previous Appearances: 2024 Midseason

Rose, after knocking on the door many times the past two seasons, finally broke through with her first career triple-double in a win over Furman on Jan. 20. The junior guard has recorded 15 20-point, five-rebound, five-assist games this season, which trails only Caitlin Clark (21).

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, and the 15 members of the midseason watch list were announced in January. The five finalists will be announced in early March. The winner will be announced around the Final Four. 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 named to the W25 in 2021.

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 and 2023 WNBA Championships.

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).