HOPEWELL, N.J. (Oct. 20, 2021) — HerHoopStats.com announced the 25 members of the preseason watch list for the 2022 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award presented by Her Hoop Stats.
The Missouri Valley Conference led the way nationally with four players making the list, surpassing three players each by the Summit League and Mid-American Conference.
Bradley's Gabi Haack, Drake's Grace Berg and Missouri State's Brice Calip and Jasmine Franklin each appeared on the list of 25 players. All four were named as Preseason All-MVC selections on Tuesday morning.
The only 3-time All-MVC selection in Bradley Women's Basketball history, Haack was the 2021 MVC Women's Basketball Championship Most Outstanding Player after leading the Braves to their first conference tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance last season. Averaging 13.8 points per game for her career, Haack enters the 2021-22 campaign just 40 points shy of becoming the program's all-time leading scorer (Karen Anderson, 1679 points from 1979-83) and she needs just 12 3-pointers to set The Valley's all-time mark (Creighton's Dayna Finch with 294 treys from 2001-04).
Berg is the third Drake player named to the watch list, joining former teammates, Becca Hittner and Sara Rhine, who were each on the 2020 list. Berg provided an immediate impact in her first season in 2021-22, starting every game for the Bulldogs. She is just the second Drake player ever to win Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Year. The Indianola native and transfer from Missouri averaged a team-high 15.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting 52.6 percent from the floor.
Calip, a sixth-year senior, ranked 10th in the nation and led the Missouri Valley Conference with a 2.82 assist-to-turnover ratio last season, after committing just 38 turnovers on the year. The senior guard is the reigning MVC Player of the Year and was selected by MVC media and coaches to repeat as the top player in the conference in 2021-22.
Franklin, a senior forward, ranked 25th in the country and first in the MVC last season with 253 total rebounds. She was also inside the top 50 nationally with 10 double-doubles in 2020-21. Franklin was a standout in The Valley, leading the conference in double-doubles (10), rebounds (253), and rebounds per game (9.7) on her way to being named MVC Defensive Player of the Year.
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 22 schools and 13 conferences.
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 January, 15 players will be named to the midseason 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.
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, and social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram).