Shaylee Gonzales named to Becky Hammon Award Midseason Watch List

HOPEWELL, N.J. – BYU sophomore guard Shaylee Gonzales has been announced as one of 15 members of the midseason watch list for the 2022 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award presented by Her Hoop Stats on Wednesday.

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 midseason watch list includes representatives from 15 schools and 13 conferences. 

Gonzales leads the West Coast Conference with 18.2 points per game. She has posted 20 points or more in eight games this year and record double-digit scoring in 14 of 15 games. Not just a scorer, Gonzales is also one of the best rebounding guards, averaging 5.5 boards to go along with 3.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game. 

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 October, 25 players were named to the preseason 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. 

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. Currently, Hammon is the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces.

2022 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Midseason Watch List
Dyaisha Fair, Buffalo, G, So.
Shaylee Gonzales, BYU, G, So.
Jasmine Dickey, Delaware, G/F, Sr.
Kierstan Bell, FGCU, G, Jr.
Macee Williams, IUPUI, F/C, Sr.
Sam Breen, Massachusetts, F, Gr.
Jasmine Franklin, Missouri St., F, Jr.
Katelyn Young, Murray St., F, So.
Jennifer Coleman, Navy, G, Sr.
Abby Meyers, Princeton, G, Sr.
Emmanuelle Tahane, Rhode Island, F, R-Sr.
Chloe Lamb, South Dakota, G, R-Sr.
Stephanie Visscher, Stephen F. Austin, G, Sr.
Danni Nichols, Western Illinois, G, Sr.
Meral Abdelgawad, Western Kentucky, G, Sr.