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Gonzaga Women's Basketball

Gonzaga forward Yvonne Ejim on Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award semifinal list

Gonzaga forward Yvonne Ejim (15) drives the ball into the key as Loyola Marymount forward Amaya Oliver (on left) and Loyola Marymount forward Alexis Mark (35) defend during the first half of a NCAA college basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, in the McCarthey Athletic Center. (COLIN MULVANY/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
By Jim Allen For The Spokesman-Review

Gonzaga junior forward Yvonne Ejim is one of 10 semifinalists for the 2023 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award, organizers announced Wednesday.

This year’s semifinalists include representatives from 10 schools and eight conferences.

Ejim leads the Zags in scoring at 16.9 points a game and has recorded four double-doubles. She has scored at least 20 points in seven games this season, including a career-high 32-point performance against Queens on Dec. 6.

A two-time West Coast Conference Player of the Week , Ejim averages 28 minutes a game. She has scored in double figures for 13 consecutive games and 22 times this season.

The award was first given out in 2020, with South Dakota’s Ciara Duffy being named winner. Florida Gulf Coast’s Kierstan Bell won the award in 2021 and 2022.

To be eligible, players must compete in one of the 26 conferences deemed to be midmajor, thereby excluding the ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12, and SEC. In January, 15 players will be named to the midseason watch list.

Also on the list is Portland forward Alex Fowler. The Zags and Pilots meet on Saturday with first place in the WCC at stake.

Five finalists will be announced in early March, with the winner to be announced later that month.

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 . 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 (top 25 players in league history).

Hammon became the second female coach in NBA history when she began with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014. Hammon is the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces and won the WNBA championship in her first season last year.