McDaniel Named to Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Preseason Watch List

HOPEWELL, N.J. – James Madison guard Peyton McDaniel was one of 25 players selected for the 2026 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award, as announced by Her Hoop Stats on Wednesday morning.

McDaniel, recently voted the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Player of the Year, returns for her redshirt senior season after averaging 16.0 points and 8.2 rebounds in 2024-25. The versatile guard was the only Division I player in 2024-25 to score 16.0 or more points and grab eight or more rebounds per game while hitting at least 70 three-pointers.

McDaniel and the Dukes will face four other players on the list this season: Kennedy Harris (George Mason), Zahirah Walton (George Mason), En'Dya Buford (Old Dominion) and Mary-Anna Asare (VCU).

This year's watch list includes representatives from 19 teams and 12 conferences. Five different teams, led by South Florida, placed multiple players on the watch list. South Florida's three representatives tie 2023-24's Gonzaga team for the most on a single list in the award's history.

The A-10 places five players on the watch list, which ties for the most for a single list in the award's history, matching the MAC's 2020-21 season, when it accounted for five of 15 players on that season's midseason watch list.

Three players become the first to represent their school on any Hammon Award watch list: Avery Koenen (North Dakota State), En'Dya Buford (Old Dominion), and Mary-Anna Asare (VCU). Madison St. Rose's selection makes Princeton the second team (Gonzaga) with five players appearing on at least one list. The A-10 moves into first all-time with 13 unique players, ahead of the MAC and MVC with 12 each.

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, and SEC. Additionally, players from Oregon State and Washington State remain ineligible this year.

The 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.

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.

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 and 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 and has won the 2022, 2023 and 2025 WNBA Championships.

2026 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Preseason Watch List
Taryn Barbot, Col. of Charleston, Jr., G
Riley Weiss, Columbia, Jr., G
Meghan Andersen, Fairfield, Jr., RR
Kaety L'Amoreaux, Fairfield, Jr., G
Kennedy Harris, George Mason, Jr., G
Zahirah Walton, George Mason, R-Jr., F
Allie Turner, Gonzaga, So, G
Peyton McDaniel, James Madison, R-Sr., G
Megan Olbrys, Massachusetts, R-Sr., F
Haven Ford, Murray St., Jr., G
Halli Poock, Murray St., Jr., G
Zanai Barnett-Gay, Navy, Jr., G
Avery Koenen, North Dakota St., Jr., F
En'Dya Buford, Old Dominion, Gr., G
Madison St. Rose, Princeton, Sr., G
Maggie Doogan, Richmond, Sr., F
Rachel Ullstrom, Richmond, Sr., G
Sophie Glancey, Santa Clara, Gr., F
Brooklyn Meyer, South Dakota St., Sr., F
Edyn Battle, South Fla., Gr., G
Katie Davidson, South Fla., Gr., G
Kirsten Lewis-Williams, South Fla., Jr., G
Teresa Seppala, Tulsa, Sr., G
Mary-Anna Asare, VCU, Sr., G
Raegan McCowan, Western Ill., Jr., G

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