Zanai Barnett-Gay Named to Mid-Major Player of the Year Midseason Watch List

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HOPEWELL, N.J. – The Her Hoop Stats organization announced on Wednesday the midseason watch list for the 2026 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award and Navy’s Zanai Barnett-Gay was prominently recognized as one of 15 players named to the exclusive list. The Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award honors the top player in women’s basketball from one of the nation’s 26 mid-major conferences. Barnett-Gay was originally named to the award’s preseason watch list in October and has advanced from that pool of 25 prospective honorees.

The talented junior guard continues to thrive and lead the Navy squad this season as she’s posted a line of 17.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.6 steals over 34.2 minutes of action per game as the Mids currently sit atop the Patriot League standings with a 5-1 league mark and an overall record of 10-6. Nationally, Barnett-Gay ranks 59th in scoring, 94th in rebounding, 89th in assists, 58th in steals and 61st in minutes played per game. She’s the only player in the Patriot League to rank inside the top-six in all five of those categories. Throughout the first 16 games of the season, Barnett-Gay has scored in double figures 15 times and recorded six double-doubles, as well as assisted on six or more baskets in five different occasions. She’s currently on a three-game run where she’s averaged 20.0 points, 10.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 3.0 steals per game with only one turnover to her name over 95 minutes of a play as Navy has won three straight contests.

A standout from day one of stepping foot on the Yard as a member of the Navy women’s basketball team, Barnett-Gay has constantly been re-writing the program’s record book. Already the fastest player to reach the 1,000-point milestone during the program’s DI era, she currently stands eighth all-time with 1,418 career points and is within 90 of breaking into the top-six. Concerning her defensive prowess, Barnett-Gay’s 202 career steals are seventh-best, while her work on the boards has her just outside the top-10 all-time for defensive rebounds with 424 caroms; number 10 is 429. 

The Becky Hammon Award was first presented in 2020 and is named in honor of the Colorado State All-American, six-time WNBA All-Star, and current Las Vegas Aces head coach. The award’s semifinalists will be announced in February, followed by finalists in early March, with the winner revealed around the NCAA Final Four.

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.