ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy women's basketball program under the guidance of seventh-year head coach Tim Taylor is pleased to announce that senior guard Zanai Barnett-Gay will lead the team in 2026-27 as captain. A three-time All-Patriot League First Team performer and the reigning Patriot League Player and Defensive Player of the Year, Barnett-Gay will guide the Midshipmen this upcoming season as they continue their quest to grab the Patriot League Championship and a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

"We are excited to have Zanai named captain by her teammates, a well-deserved honor and a testament to the growth she has shown over the past three years," remarked head coach Tim Taylor. "It has been a pleasure to watch her develop, both as a player and as a leader. One of the qualities I respect most about Zanai is her unwavering commitment to our program on and off the court. While many people recognize her as an outstanding player, what often goes unnoticed is the tremendous amount of work she puts into building our program through her selflessness and servant leadership.

"Whenever a recruit visits campus, Z is always eager to spend time with them and their families—meeting with them, showing them around, and helping them feel at home, often without ever being asked. She has also embraced numerous leadership opportunities across the Academy, including serving as a detailer during Plebe Summer. Those experiences, combined with her dedication to our team, have prepared her exceptionally well to lead our program as a captain this season. We are excited to see what the new year holds for Zanai as she helps lead our program."

"Being named captain is a huge honor, and I'm excited to take on the responsibility," commented Barnett-Gay. "My teammates know I'm not one for long speeches because I believe actions speak louder than words. I try to lead by how I work, how I compete, and how I show up for my teammates every day. I want everyone to give their all and continue pushing each other to get better. For me, being captain is also about helping set the standard for what we want this team to be. We accomplished a lot last season by winning the regular season championship, but we still have more to do. With our top three scorers returning, we're excited to build on that, finish the job, and make it even further this year."

Over her first three seasons in Annapolis, Barnett-Gay has been one of the most impactful players the program has ever seen as she's collected nearly every possible honor from the Patriot League as well as regional and national honors from organizations like the ECAC, the Associated Press and the USBWA. Over 92 career games, she's been a member of the starting lineup on all 92 occasions and has scored 1,659 points, grabbed 683 rebounds, assisted on 311 baskets and collected 248 steals. All-time, 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.

Not just willing to stack individual honors, Barnett-Gay has worked tirelessly to elevate the Navy women's basketball program and led the Mids to a 14-17 record with a 9-9 mark in Patriot League play as freshman in 2023-24 before pushing the team into the postseason her sophomore year courtesy of a 19-12 record with an 11-7 effort in conference action. Navy ended its 2024-25 campaign facing off with Old Dominion in the WNIT in late March. The next step in the program's multi-year rebuild came in 2025-26 when the Mids collected the fifth-most wins in a single-season with a 22-9 mark and a record-setting 16-2 result over the Patriot League portion of their schedule to earn their fifth regular season conference title and first since 2014. While falling short of cutting down the nets at the end of the Patriot League Tournament, Navy earned a spot in the WBIT and traveled to Boston for a year-end showdown at Harvard. 

Barnett-Gay and the Mids kick off their 2026-27 season on November 2 with a road tilt at Mount St. Mary's. The program's first home game comes 12 days later with a service academy matchup versus Air Force on Saturday, November 14.

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Season tickets are now available for purchase through the Navy Ticket Office by either calling 1-800-US4-NAVY, clicking the TICKETS tab in the masthead of NavySports.com or clicking this link.