HOPEWELL, N.J. – San José State point guard Ayzhiana Basallo and forward Tyra Whitehead have been named to the Her Hoop Stats Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year preseason watch list, the organization announced on Wednesday morning. The Spartans are one of just two teams nationally to place multiple student-athletes on the watch list.
The award - in its second year of existence - recognizes the nation's best mid-major player, the first such award in women's collegiate basketball. Basallo finished the 2019-20 season as a semifinalist for the honor.
"Tyra and Ayzhiana are two talented individuals who are going to do big things this year in NCAA women's basketball," says SJSU head coach Jamie Craighead. "This should create even more motivation for our team as we continue to reach new heights as a program."
Whitehead earned All-Mountain West Honorable Mention recognition at the end of the 2019-20 campaign, her first in Silicon Valley. The forward was one of just two Mountain West performers - in addition to being only the fifth Spartan in program history - to finish the season averaging a double-double, scoring 13.9 points while pulling down 10.1 rebounds per game.
Basallo was named the Mountain West Newcomer of the Year for the 2019-20 season. The point guard averaged a team-high 18.5 points per game and was ranked first in the conference in both scoring and free throw percentage (92.5 percent).
The Spartan duo represent two of the Mountain West's three representatives on the watch list. The pair took the league by storm in their first season at San José State, combining to earn three Mountain West Player of the Week awards a year ago.
SJSU is coming off the program's most successful season in 40 years, winning 19 games to claim the nation's largest single-season win turnaround.
Her Hoop Stats will name 15 players to the award's midseason watch list in January. To be eligible for the award and watch lists, players must compete in one of the 25 conferences deemed to be a "mid-major."
Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award Preseason Watch List:
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Dariauna Lewis, Alabama A&M, F, Jr.
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Dyaisha Fair, Buffalo, G, So.
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Micaela Kelly, Central Michigan, G, Sr.
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IImar'I Thomas, Cincinnati, F, Sr.
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Maddi Utti, Fresno State, F, Sr.
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Tierra Hodges, Furman, G/F, R-Sr.
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Jill Townsend, Gonzaga, G, Sr.
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Macee Williams, IUPUI, F/C, Sr.
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Natalie Kucowski, Lafayette, F, Sr.
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Jasmine Franklin, Missouri State, F, Jr.
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CeCe Hooks, Ohio, G, Sr.
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Erica Johnson, Ohio, G, R-Jr.
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Valerie Higgins, Pacific, G, R-Sr.
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Kayla Padilla, Pennsylvania, G, So.
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Alex Fowler, Portland, F, So.
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Carlie Littlefield, Princeton, G, Sr.
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Ayzhiana Basallo, San José State, G, Jr.
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Tyra Whitehead, San José State, F, Sr.
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Hannah Sjerven, South Dakota, C, Sr.
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Tesia Thompson, Southeast Missouri State, G, Sr.
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Mia Davis, Temple, F, Sr.
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Kionna Jeter, Towson, G, R-Sr.
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Ila Lane, UC Santa Barbara, F/C, So.
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Chelsey Perry, UT Martin, F, Sr.
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Raneem Elgedawy, Western Kentucky, F, Sr.