2022 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year presented by Her Hoop Stats Midseason Watch List
2022 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year presented by Her Hoop Stats Midseason Watch List
15 players named to midseason watch list for the third-annual Becky Hammon Award presented by Her Hoop Stats
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Hopewell, N.J. (Jan. 19, 2022)--We are proud to announce the 15 members of the midseason watch list for the 2022 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. This year’s preseason watch list includes representatives from 15 schools and 13 conferences.
Below are the 15 members of the preseason watch list, listed in alphabetical order by school. Stats are through Jan. 17 and only include games against other Division I opponents.
Dyaisha Fair, Buffalo, G, Jr.
2021-22 Stats: 23.8 PPG, 4.2 APG, 2.3 SPG
Fair has kept up her scoring prowess halfway through her junior season, surpassing 1,500 career points in a recent game against Miami (OH). Her 23.8 points per game rank fourth in the nation. This would be her third-straight season finishing in the top-five of scoring nationally. One impressive development is Fair’s scoring efficiency this season, which she has elevated from a relatively average 0.97 points per scoring attempt up to 1.11.
Shaylee Gonzales, BYU, G, So.
2021-22 Stats: 18.2 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 3.7 APG, 2.1 SPG
Gonzales has led BYU to national prominence after the Cougars rattled off nine-straight wins to open the season to rise into the AP Top 25. Currently, the 14-1 Cougars are the No. 17 ranked team thanks in large part to Gonzales’ ability to impact the game on both sides of the ball.
Jasmine Dickey, Delaware, G/F, Sr.
2021-22 Stats: 24.6 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.1 BPG
Dickey has boosted her scoring by more than two points compared to last season, currently sitting at 24.6 points per contest. In addition to her scoring jump, she is also averaging one more assist and half a block per game more than 2020-21. Dickey does an excellent job of limiting turnovers, especially given her massive role in the Delaware offense that results in her sporting the seventh-highest usage rate in the country.
Kierstan Bell, FGCU, G, Jr.
2021-22 Stats: 26.2 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.3 APG
The reigning Becky Hammon Award winner is currently the nation’s leading scorer at 26.2 points per game. Her 42.2 PER ranks third in the country, and she is currently averaging 0.48 Win Shares per 40 Minutes which ranks eighth. Much like Dickey, Bell’s ability to handle the ball so frequently with such a low turnover rate is impressive. Bell also keeps opponents’ second chances to a minimum on the glass, her 28.4% defensive rebounding rate is 17th nationally.
Macee Williams, IUPUI, F/C, Sr.
2021-22 Stats: 17.8 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 1.8 APG
The fifth-year senior is putting up the numbers that we’ve come to expect. Williams is currently on pace for her fourth-consecutive season averaging at least 16 points, nine boards, one assist, and one steal per game. Since 2009-10, only one other player has recorded four such seasons.
Sam Breen, Massachusetts, F, Gr.
2021-22 Stats: 17.1 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 2.4 APG
Breen has been the driving force behind Massachusetts’ under-the-radar great season so far. Currently, Breen is one of just two players averaging at least 17.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. The fifth-year senior has been elevating her game each season, and currently ranks 24th in Win Shares nationally.
Jasmine Franklin, Missouri St., F, Sr.
2021-22 Stats: 15.2 PPG, 12.2 RPG, 2.2 BPG
Franklin suffered a season-ending ACL injury back in December, but her production up to that point certainly warranted inclusion on this watch list. Missouri State will miss her combination of scoring production and paint dominance on the defensive end.
Katelyn Young, Murray St., F, So.
2021-22 Stats: 20.3 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.5 APG
Young is one of the most efficient scorers from inside the arc, making 65.2% of her two-point attempts so far this season. She has shown the ability to make shots from behind the arc as well but has never shot more than four in a single game. She’s just a sophomore, and if she can increase her volume from deep on top of her incredible 1.40 PPSA, she could challenge for scoring titles.
Jennifer Coleman, Navy, G, Sr.
2021-22 Stats: 23.5 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 4.6 APG, 3.0 SPG
The Navy senior is stuffing the stat sheet at an unprecedented level this season. At her current rate, Coleman would become the first player in the Her Hoop Stats Era (since 2009-10) to average 20 points, 10 boards, four assists, and three steals per game.
Abby Meyers, Princeton, G, Sr.
2021-22 Stats: 18.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.5 APG
After not starting a single game in 2019-20, and with the Ivy League taking all of last season off due to COVID, Meyers has kicked it into another gear this season. Meyers has added a more consistent three-point shot and has bumped her free-throw percentage more than 30 percentage points up to 86.4%.
Emmanuelle Tahane, Rhode Island, F, R-Sr.
2021-22 Stats: 14.6 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 2.6 APG
Tahane is the second A-10 player on this watch list who has led their team to an under-the-radar strong start. Although most people might not realize it, Tahane currently ranks 11th in the country in Win Shares, already surpassing her solid 4.8 total she put up last season with 5.4 through 16 games. She’s matched her 2020-21 average of 4.3 offensive boards per game, which ranks 14th in the country.
Chloe Lamb, South Dakota, G, R-Sr.
2021-22 Stats: 15.6 PPG, 3.7 APG, 2.9 APG
The super-senior leader for the Coyotes, Lamb has held steady with her scoring numbers compared to last year while becoming more effective as a distributor. Lamb is averaging 0.6 more assists per game, and her assisted shot rate has risen from 14.5% up to 20.4% without seeing her turnover rate rise in response.
Stephanie Visscher, Stephen F. Austin, G, Sr.
2021-22 Stats: 13.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 3.3 APG, 2.7 SPG
Through 15 games, Visscher is averaging more points, rebounds, assists, and steals than her stellar 2020-21 campaign. Her scoring efficiency has dropped slightly as she’s been tasked with a larger share of the offensive duties, but her PPSA is still well above average. Thanks to her propensity for steals, her 1.9 defensive Win Shares rank 22nd in the nation.
Danni Nichols, Western Illinois, G, Sr.
2021-22 Stats: 19.4 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.9 SPG
Nichols has been one of the most efficient players in the country so far this season, posting a PPSA of 1.23 and averaging 19.4 points per game to rank just outside the top-30.
Meral Abdelgawad, Western Kentucky, G, Sr.
2021-22 Stats: 20.4 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.5 APG, 2.5 SPG
Abdelgawad’s defensive skills have been on display for several years at Western Kentucky, but this year her offensive production has exploded. After averaging just 10.6 points per contest last year, the senior guard is now averaging 20.4 points through 15 games.
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, 25 players were named to the preseason 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.
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, YouTube channel, and social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram).