HOPEWELL, N.J. - The Her Hoop Stats organization announced on Wednesday the watch list for the 2027 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award and Navy's senior 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. This year's watchlist consists of players from 21 schools and 16 different conferences.
One of the most impactful players in the history of Navy Women's Basketball and the Patriot League, Barnett-Gay has already begun compiling preseason accolades as the conference coaches have deemed her the leader to repeat as both the Patriot League Player and Defensive Player of the Year for 2026-27, while leading a Midshipmen squad that was voted as the unanimous preseason favorite. An Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American as a junior in 2025-26, the Glenn Dale, Maryland native has her eyes locked on completing her career in standout fashion. The first game of the 2026-27 season lies ahead this upcoming Monday, November 2 with a road matchup at Mount St. Mary's.
Over 92 career games with 92 starts, Barnett-Gay has accumulated totals of 1,659 points, 683 rebounds, 311 assists and 248 steals, while helping her team post a .591 winning percentage (55-38) and berths into the 2025 WNIT and 2026 WBIT postseason events. All-time in the program record book, Barnett-Gay stands third in total points and steals and just outside the top-10 for both rebounds (716-tenth place) and assists (313-tenth place) with a full season of action ahead. Both the scoring and steal records are in danger as she is only 198 points shy of Courtney Davidson's scoring mark and 13 steals away from matching Becky Dowling's record for thefts.
Looking ahead to the upcoming 2026-27 season, the three-time All-Patriot League First Team honoree returns at the nations' 13th-highest scoring player among athletes, who have reached the 1,000-point plateau in terms of career points per game average. Barnett-Gay's 18.0 scoring average trails only some of the most prominent names in NCAA women's basketball ...
JuJu Watkins - USC - 25.5 points per game
Mikayla Blakes - Vanderbilt - 25.2 ppg
Hannah Hidalgo - Notre Dame - 23.9 ppg
Audi Crooks - Iowa State/Oklahoma State - 22.8 ppg
Taliah Scott - Baylor - 20.6 ppg
Raegan McCowan - Western Illinois/Houston - 20.4 ppg
Kiyomi McMiller - Penn State/Florida - 20.4 ppg
Jaloni Cambridge - Ohio State - 19.7 ppg
Liv McGill - Florida/Oklahoma State - 19.2 ppg
Madi Morson - Central Michigan/Arizona State - 18.3 ppg
Halli Poock - Murray State - 18.3 ppg
Ny'Ceara Pryor - Texas A&M/St. John's - 18.1 ppg
Zanai Barnett-Gay - Navy - 18.0 ppg
Below are the 25 players named to the 2026-27 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of Year Award
Payton Hull, Abilene Christian, Sr., G
Meredith Mayes, Abilene Christian, Sr., C
Kya Smith, Army, Sr., F
Kendall Bennett, Binghamton, Sr., F
Camryn Runner, Colorado St., Jr., G
Riley Weiss, Columbia, Sr., G
Meghan Andersen, Fairfield, Sr., RR
Kaety L'Amoreaux, Fairfield, Gr., G
Clare Coyle, Furman, Jr., F
Lauren Whittaker, Gonzaga, Jr., F
Karlee White, Harvard, Sr., G
Amber Tretter, Miami (OH), Sr., F
Kaemyn Bekemeier, Missouri St., Sr., G
Taylee Chirrick, Montana St., Jr., G
Sharnecce Currie-Jelks, Murray St., Sr., F
Haven Ford, Murray St., Sr., G
Halli Poock, Murray St., Sr., G
Zanai Barnett-Gay, Navy, Sr., G
Avery Koenen, North Dakota St., Sr., F
Fadima Tall, Princeton, Sr., G/F
Gabby Casey, Saint Joseph's, Sr., G
Sophie Glancey, Santa Clara, Gr., F
Francesca Schiro, Siena, So., G
Ava Renninger, Towson, Jr., G
Mia Nicastro, Western Ill., Gr., F
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).
