2025 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year presented by Her Hoop Stats Finalists
Five players representing four conferences named finalists
Hopewell, N.J. (March 5, 2025) – We are proud to announce the five finalists for the 2025 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. Gonzaga’s Yvonne Ejim is the reigning winner of the award.
The finalists represent five teams and four conferences, featuring three first-time finalists. Ejim earns her third finalist nod, becoming the first three-time finalist in the award's six-year history. Harmoni Turner becomes the fourth different Ivy League player to be named a finalist, surpassing the Summit League and WCC for the most in the award’s history.
Katie Dinnebier, Drake, Sr., G
2024-25 Stats: 22.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 7.5 APG, 2.4 SPG
Previous Appearances: 2025 Semifinalist, Midseason & Preseason; 2024 Finalist, Semifinalist, Midseason & Preseason
Dinnebier’s combination of volume scoring and frequent facilitating for her teammates puts her in rare air. Since 2009-10, only one other player has averaged at least 20 points and 7.5 assists per game: Caitlin Clark, who did so three times. Add in Dinnebier’s steals, and she is the only player to average at least 22 points, 7.5 assists and two steals per game since assists became officially tracked in 1985-86, according to Stathead.
Megan McConnell, Duquesne, Sr., G
2024-25 Stats: 18.8 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 5.2 APG, 3.9 SPG
Previous Appearances: 2025 Semifinalist, Midseason & Preseason; 2024 Preseason
McConnell has a hand in everything for Duquesne. On offense, she is one of just two players in Division I this season averaging at least 18 points, five assists and 1.5 offensive boards per game. On defense, she is the only player currently averaging at least 3.5 steals and five defensive boards per game. Putting those two halves together, only one other player has met those thresholds since 2009-10: Shakyla Hill in 2018-19.
Yvonne Ejim, Gonzaga, 5th, F
2024-25 Stats: 20.7 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.0 BPG
Previous Appearances: 2025 Semifinalist, Midseason & Preseason; 2024 Winner, Finalist, Semifinalist, Midseason & Preseason; 2023 Finalist, Semifinalist & Midseason
Ejim has posted a career-high usage rate, taking on a much higher workload for this season’s Gonzaga team. Even with all of the increased defensive attention she has received and an uptick in turnovers, Ejim has seen increases in her scoring and assist averages, while her rebounding and shot-blocking have both remained level from her 2023-24 campaign that garnered her this award one year ago.
Harmoni Turner, Harvard, Sr., G
2024-25 Stats: 21.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 3.3 APG, 2.9 SPG
Previous Appearances: 2025 Semifinalist, Midseason & Preseason
Turner’s offensive numbers are impressive — she is the lone player averaging at least 21 points, three assists and 1.5 offensive rebounds with fewer than 2.5 turnovers per game — but her defense is where she really shines. Her 2.0 defensive win shares rank 11th nationally and leads Harvard’s 23rd-ranked defense in Division I, according to HHS Defensive Rating.
Laura Ziegler, Saint Joesph’s, Jr., F
2024-25 Stats: 18.1 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.0 BPG
Previous Appearances: 2025 Semifinalist & Midseason
As the lone junior among the five finalists, Ziegler stuffs the stat sheet for the Hawks in a way few players have in recent memory. The only other player since 2009-10 to average at least 18 points, 10 boards, and four assists with fewer than three turnovers per game was Alyssa Thomas for Maryland in 2013-14.
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, and SEC. Additionally, players from Oregon State and Washington State are ineligible this year as membership in the Pac-12 Conference evolves.
The 25-player preseason watch list was announced in October, and 15 midseason watch list members were announced in January. The 10 semifinalists were announced in February, with the winner scheduled to be announced on April 2. The list is fluid, and players may play their way on or off it over the course of the season.
About Becky Hammon
Hammon was a three-time All-American 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 and 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, Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram).