McKenna Hofschild's one-of-a-kind career
'I'm just a competitor. I want to win… So if that means getting in there and taking a few bumps and a few bruises ... I'm going to compete and be fearless in what I'm doing'
Welcome to the first installment of our series spotlighting each of the five finalists for the 2024 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year. Each day this week, we will publish a spotlight on one finalist for this year’s award, introducing you to each of these spectacular players.
Today - McKenna Hofschild, Colorado State
Tomorrow - Abbey Hsu, Columbia
Wednesday - Katie Dinnebier, Drake
Thursday - Yvonne Ejim, Gonzaga
Friday - Rachael Rose, Wofford
It is not hard to watch Colorado State’s McKenna Hofschild play and make comparisons to the namesake of the award she is now a finalist for: Becky Hammon. Hofschild is a tenacious, undersized guard who attacks the opposing defense fearlessly. She even does it all while playing for Hammon’s alma mater.
Despite how fun all those comparisons can be, Hofschild is a singular talent. She has carved out a legacy of her own with the Rams and brought a unique flair to Fort Collins that makes her distinct from just about any player, past or present.
‘I'm going to compete and be fearless’
Coming out of high school, the 5-foot-2 guard caught the attention of many coaches, with Seton Hall, Boston College, Denver, Montana State and Northern Iowa being among her finalists. Even at 5-foot-2, Hofschild had a reputation as a player with an incredible ability to score in bunches, even when surrounded by much taller players in the paint.
“I think it's just honestly something that has come with time,” Hofschild said when asked about scoring among the trees. “I’ve always been the shortest player, so it's just been something I've always dealt with. I'm just a competitor. I want to win… So if that means getting in there and taking a few bumps and a few bruises to try and get something at the rim or try and get a kick out for a teammate, I'm going to compete and be fearless in what I'm doing.”
She ultimately decided on Seton Hall, and despite not seeing much game action in her freshman season, Hofschild says it was a year of learning and growth, which was fundamental to her development.
“I think that was something that I really needed. I had never really faced a lot of adversity before that. So, going out, moving on my own, living on the East Coast … I just took so much experience and so much growth away from that one year. And I think without that year, I wouldn't be the player nor the person I am today.”
During that season of growth – a year where she played just 8.5 minutes per game – Hofschild says she spent a lot of time thinking about the right situation for her moving forward, and once the season ended and the transfer portal opened up, she was fully prepared to find the right fit.
Enter Colorado State head coach Ryun Williams. He knew Hofschild had promise, remembering back to his time seeing her play in the AAU circuit in Minnesota. He also knew the team needed someone to drive the offense as a scorer and a passer.
“I coached in the Midwest for a number of years, and she came highly recommended by some very strong sources,” said Williams. “It was a pretty easy sell … because we needed the scoring at the time and also somebody who wanted to play with a chip on their shoulder. And that young lady lives with a chip on her shoulder. You have to when you're that size. And so she brought a different mentality to our program.”
One of a kind
Now, let’s circle back to those comparisons. First, we can start with the obvious: Hammon, who was considered a short guard herself, holds a four-inch height advantage over Hofschild. Very few players of Hofschild’s height find success at this level, let alone the dominance she has displayed this season.
From a scoring perspective, the comparison holds water but with some slight differences. Even though most people's image of a young Hammon is that of a guard driving the lane and taking on contact, Hofschild has been a more prolific inside scorer, taking 5.2 more 2-pointers per game this season than Hammon did in her final season. Meanwhile, Hammon holds the edge regarding 3-point volume, resulting in a slightly higher scoring average.
Meanwhile, Hofschild has a clear advantage as a distributor. The fifth-year senior has put up absurd numbers in her career, especially the last two seasons. Her pure volume of assists stacks up with anyone in the country this season, including Caitlin Clark, but Hofschild puts up those numbers with an impressive ability to avoid turnovers.
Hofschild is the only player in the last four seasons to record a season of at least seven assists per game and an assist-to-turnover ratio of at least 2.50, during which time she has recorded two such seasons.
The list of recent players who combined elite bucket-getting and high-volume facilitating with such infrequent mistakes is very limited. Names like Sabrina Ionescu and Courtney Vandersloot come to mind, but they are 5-foot-11 and 5-foot-8, respectively.
Perhaps the only comparable player in NCAA women’s basketball history is Suzie McConnell-Serio. Reported as somewhere between 5-foot-3 and 5-foot-5, McConnell-Serio put up similar statistics to Hofschild in her senior year at Penn State in 1987-88.
The fact that you must go back nearly four decades to find such a complete comparison speaks to Hofschild’s unique accomplishments and how long we may have to wait to see another player do it the same way.
A high-character role model
As Hofschild’s collegiate career winds down, her impact on Colorado State women’s basketball is clear. Watch any home game, and even some road games, and you will see a crowd scattered with Rams No. 4 gear and countless young girls and boys in awe of what they are watching.
“She's an extremely high-character young lady, and she's got a really big heart,” Williams said. “She is very aware of how she can impact a little girl. And we've had more little girls in Moby Arena the last three-plus years than the five years before that combined.”
Among the final memories those fans will have of Hofschild is her senior night, her last regular-season game at Moby Arena. When Williams subbed her out, Hofschild received a deserved standing ovation from the home crowd. After the game, Hofschild was emotional when thanking everyone in attendance, reiterating that this team and this program had become home and family.
“Just being able to talk to the crowd after the game and thank them for all their support and everything that they've done for me and my family for the past four years, it truly means the world to me,” Hofschild said of her message to the Colorado State fans.
Then, as she has made a habit of doing in her time in Fort Collins, she accommodated as many autograph requests as possible. Surrounded on the court by young fans and their families, making memories for every one of them.
“I look forward to it after every game because I like to connect with them, and I like to see how excited they are,” she said of these postgame moments. “I like to try and reciprocate that feeling and show them support and thank them for coming out. Hopefully, one day, I can be watching them on TV or watching them in person.”
Williams sees Hofschild’s character as something that sets her apart. “The fact that she understands that, and she doesn't turn down one autograph, and she has a joyful heart when she does it, it's very inspiring,” said Williams. “There's going to be another McKenna Hofschild someday because of what she has done in our community.”
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