UTM women’s basketball standout forward Chelsey Perry has been named to the midseason watch list for the 2021 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award as announced by Her Hoop Stats on Wednesday.
The Becky Hammon Award was first awarded in 2020 with South Dakota’s Ciara Duffy being named the inaugural winner. Perry finished last season’s race as one of five finalists. Perry is one of 15 student-athletes named to the midseason watch list representing 10 conferences.
A native of Middleton, Tennessee, Perry ranks third nationally with 26.8 points per game and amongst the nation’s leaders with three double-doubles this season. She has scored 20 points or more in all five contests this season – including a season-high 31 points at Samford. In addition to her scoring prowess, she is averaging 8.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. She is shooting 52.1 percent from the field, 45.5 percent from beyond the arc and 76.5 percent from the free throw stripe.
Perry joins a list which features Lexi Fleming (Bowling Green), Dyaisha Fair (Buffalo), Micaela Kelly (Central Michigan), Iimari’i Thomas (Cincinnati), Kierstan Bell (FGCU), Jill Townsend (Gonzaga), Macee Williams (IUPUI), Blanca Millan (Maine), Anastasia Hayes (Middle Tennessee), Cece Hooks (Ohio), Erica Johnson (Ohio), Nancy Mulkey (Rice), Hannah Sjerven (South Dakota) and Kionna Jeter (Towson).
To be eligible for this award, players must compete in one of the 26 conferences deemed to be “mid-major.” 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. 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.
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