HOPEWELL, N.J. - The Her Hoop Stats organization announced on Wednesday the watch list for the 2026 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award and Navy's junior standout guard
Zanai Barnett-Gay was at the forefront of the release as one of 25 players named to the exclusive list. First given out in 2020, the Becky Hammon Award is given to the nation's top NCAA Division I player, who competes in one the 26 "mid-major" conferences.
Coming off a banner sophomore campaign, Barnett-Gay has already started stacking up preseason honors in advance of the 2025-26 season as she was recently named the Patriot League's Preseason Player and Defensive Player of the Year. After scoring 18.2 points, grabbing 6.2 rebounds and assisting on 3.0 baskets per game, while picking opponents' pockets for 89 total steals, Barnett-Gay was selected as the 2023-24 Patriot League Rookie of the Year and a member of the All-Patriot League First Team. Barnett-Gay improved on those first three statistical outputs as a sophomore in 2024-25 with a line of 19.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists to go along with 72 total steals. She was barely edged in balloting for Patriot League Player of the Year, but was still honored as the Defensive Player of the Year, while earning her second straight spot on the All-PL First Team. Barnett-Gay ranked first in steals, second in points and minutes, fourth in rebounds and seventh in assists in the Patriot League, while standing 32nd in scoring and 54th in steals per game nationally among DI players.
Barnett-Gay is the first Navy player to be named to the All-Patriot League First Team in back-to-back seasons since Jade Geif in 2012-13 and 2013-14. All-time, only eight players have ever earned multiple All-Patriot League First Team honors.
Looking forward to the 2025-26 season, the Glenn Dale, Maryland native returns as the nation's seventh-highest scoring player among athletes, who have reached the 1,000-point plateau in terms of career points per game average. Barnett-Gay's 18.6 scoring average (1,135 career points over 61 games) trails only some of the most prominent names in NCAA women's basketball ...
  JuJu Watkins - USC - 25.5 points per game
  Hannah Hidalgo - Notre Dame - 23.1 ppg
  Ta'Niya Latson - Florida State - 22.5 ppg
  Audi Crooks - Iowa State - 21.4 ppg
  Raegan McCowan - Western Illinois - 21.0 ppg
  Ny'Ceara Pryor - Sacred Heart/Texas A&M - 18.6 ppg
  Zanai Barnett-Gay - Navy - 18.6 ppg
  Kaylene Smikle - Maryland - 17.6 ppg
  Ashley Hawkins - Gardner-Webb/Santa Clara - 17.3 ppg
  Rachael Rose - Wofford/Clemson - 17.3 ppg
Below are the 25 players named to the 2025-26 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of Year Award
  Taryn Barbot - College of Charleston - Jr., Guard
  Riley Weiss - Columbia - Jr., Guard
  Meghan Anderson - Fairfield - Jr., G/F
  Kaety L'Amoreaux - Fairfield - Jr., Guard
  Kennedy Harris - George Mason - Jr., Guard
  Zahirah Walton - George Mason - R-Jr., Forward
  Allie Turner - Gonzaga - So., Guard
  Peyton McDaniel - James Madison - R-Sr., Guard
  Megan Olbrys - UMass - R-Sr., Forward
  Haven Ford - Murray State - Jr., Guard
  Halli Poock - Murray State - Jr., Guard
  Zanai Barnett-Gay - Navy - Jr., Guard
  Avery Koenen - North Dakota State - Jr., Forward
  En'Dya Buford - Old Dominion - Gr., Guard
  Madison St. Rose - Princeton - Sr., Guard
  Maggie Doogan - Richmond - Sr., Forward
  Rachel Ullstrom - Richmond - Sr., Guard
  Sophie Glancey - Santa Clara - Gr., Forward
  Brooklyn Meyer - South Dakota State - Sr., Forward
  Edyn Battle - South Florida - Gr., Guard
  Katie Davidson - South Florida - Gr., Guard
  Kirsten Lewis-Williams - South Florida - Jr., Guard
  Teresa Seppala - Tulsa - Sr., Guard
  Mary-Anna Asare - VCU - Sr., Guard
  Raegan McCowan - Western Illinois - Jr., G/F
Of note, Barnett-Gay and the Navy women's basketball team is slated to match up with five of the above-mentioned players as the Mids travel to the University of Richmond on Nov. 23 to take on the Spiders' duo of Maggie Doogan and Rachel Ullstrom before packing their backs once again for a road showdown in Tampa versus USF on Dec. 21. The Bulls have an announcement-high three players on the watch list; Edyn Battle, Katie Davidson and Kirsten Lewis-Williams.
A 15-player midseason watch list will be announced in January, followed by 10 semifinalists announced in February. The five finalists will be announced in early March, with the winner announced around the Final Four. The list is fluid, and players may play their way on or off it over the course of the season.
About Becky Hammon
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.
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 network, YouTube channel, and social media accounts (Twitter, Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram).
