2026 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Midseason Watch List presented by Her Hoop Stats

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Hopewell, N.J. (January 21, 2026) — We are proud to announce the 15-player midseason watch list for the 2026 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award presented by Her Hoop Stats. The Becky Hammon Award was first given out in 2020, and Harvard’s Harmoni Turner won the most recent award in 2025.

Below are the 15 midseason watch list members, listed in alphabetical order by school.

This year’s midseason list includes representatives from 15 teams and 13 conferences. Two conferences – the A-10 and Summit League – placed two players on the watch list. South Dakota State’s Brooklyn Meyer is the lone player this season making their second career appearance on a midseason watch list, previously being named to the 2025 iteration.

Five players on the watch list become their team’s first-ever representative on one of the award’s watch lists: Meredith Mayes (Abilene Christian), Rhema Collins (FIU), Taylee Chirrick (Montana State), Jada Wynn (UC Irvine) and Nikola Priede (Vermont).

Gonzaga surpasses Princeton and South Florida for the most players named to at least one watch list in the award’s history, with six. Murray State moves into a tie for fourth with four all-time players named to a watch list.

Meredith Mayes, Abilene Christian, Jr., C15.2 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.5 SPG

Kaety L’Amoreaux, Fairfield, Jr., G18.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 4.4 APG, 2.2 SPG

Rhema Collins, FIU, Jr., G19.9 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 2.2 SPG

Zahirah Walton, George Mason, R-Jr., F19.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.6 SPG

Lauren Whittaker, Gonzaga, R-Fr., F19.3 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 1.4 SPG

Peyton McDaniel, James Madison, R-Sr., G18.1 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.4 SPG

Taylee Chirrick, Montana St., So., G18.8 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 3.3 APG, 3.9 SPG

Sharnecce Currie-Jelks, Murray St., Jr., F19.3 PPG, 12.4 RPG, 1.4 BPG, 1.4 SPG

Zanai Barnett-Gay, Navy, Jr., G17.7 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 4.3 APG, 2.6 SPG

Avery Koenen, North Dakota St., Jr., F18.8 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.6 SPG

Maggie Doogan, Richmond, Sr., F23.2 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 4.6 APG, 1.3 BPG, 1.1 SPG

Brooklyn Meyer, South Dakota St., Sr., F20.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.9 BPG

Jada Wynn, UC Irvine, Sr., G15.7 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.7 SPG

Nikola Priede, Vermont, Sr., C16.6 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.2 BPG

Mia Nicastro, Western Ill., Sr., F24.1 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 1.6 SPG

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 remain ineligible this year.

The 10 semifinalists will be announced in February, followed by the five finalists 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 over the course of the season.

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 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 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 has won the 2022, 2023 and 2025 WNBA Championships.

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 (Bluesky, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram).