Murray State University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Young Named As Becky Hammon Semifinalist
2/23/2022 10:17:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Racer remains on list after its cut from 15 to 10
Sophomore Katelyn Young of the Murray State women's basketball team was just one of 10 players nationally to be named as a 2021-22 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Semifinalist, as announced by Her Hoop Stats Wednesday.
In total, 10 players representing 10 conferences were selected as semifinalist. Young was the only player on the list from the Ohio Valley Conference or the Missouri Valley Conference. South Dakota's Ciara Duffy was named as the inaugural winner of the award in 2020, while FGCU's Kierstan Bell earned the award last season and is also a semifinalist this season.
The Oakwood, Illinois native has had a tremendous 2021-22 season, as she currently leads the Racers and the OVC in points per game and rebounds per game at 20.1 and 8.2, respectively. She also currently ranks in the top 10 of several national statistical categories including eighth in field goal-percentage at 59.3, fifth in free throws made at 143, ninth in total points at 542 and is just outside the top 10 in free throws attempted at eleventh with 165 and in 16th for field goals made at 192.
Additionally, her 20.1 points per game rank 19th in the nation, while her 86.7 free-throw percentage ranks 29th. Earlier this season, Young became the first Racer to ever go a perfect 10-for-10 from the floor in a single-game, in addition to turning in the second-best single-game free throw performance at 13-for-13.
To be eligible for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player if of the Year 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.
Now in its third year, the award is named for current Las Vegas Aces head coach and former San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon. As a player, Hammon was a three-time All-American for Colorado State and went onto to play 16 seasons in the WNBA where she was a six-time WNBA All-Star and two time All-WNBA first team selection.
In coaching, Hammon continued to break barriers as she became the second-ever female assistant coach in the WNBA when she was hired by the San Antonio Spurs in 2014. Over the next eight years, Hammon became the first woman to ever serve as head coach in the NBA Summer League and the first woman to serve on an All-Star team coaching staff. In January of 2022, Hammon left the Spurs to return to the WNBA as head coach of the Aces.
2021-22 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Semifinalists
Dyaisha Fair, Buffalo, G, Jr.
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.
Katelyn Young, Murray St., F, So.
Abby Meyers, Princeton, G, Sr.
Stephanie Visscher, Stephen F. Austin, G, Sr.
Meral Abdelgawad, Western Kentucky, G, Sr.
