Gonzaga’s Yvonne Ejim, Brynna Maxwell, Kaylynne Truong named to Becky Hammon Player of the Year Award watch list

Gonzaga women’s basketball players Yvonne Ejim, Brynna Maxwell and Kaylynne Truong have been named to the preseason watch list for the 2024 Becky Hammon Player of the Year Award.

Gonzaga is the first team in history to have three players on the list.

This year’s watch list includes players from 23 teams and 16 conferences. Gonzaga is the only team with multiple players on the list.

Three conferences – the West Coast , Mountain West and Missouri Valley – placed three players on the watch list. Gonzaga, Drake, Princeton and South Dakota have each placed four players on at least one watch list since the award’s inception, becoming the only teams to do so.

Ejim led the Zags in scoring last season with 16.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game to go with eight double-doubles. She scored at least 20 points in 11 games, including a career-high 32 points against Queens on Dec. 6. She was also named a semifinalist for the Becky Hammon Player of the Year and named to the All-WCC first team.

Maxwell averaged 13.5 points a game last year while being one of the best free-throw and 3-point shooters in the country. She shot 94.9% from the free-throw line and 48.1% from the 3-point line to lead the nation most of the season. She scored double figures in 23 games and made at least one 3-pointer in every game during the regular season. She was also named to the All-WCC first team.

Truong was named WCC Player of the Year last season while averaging 15.8 points to go with 166 assists. She was also named an AP All-American honorable mention. She scored in double figures 28 times and had a career-high 26 points with six 3-pointers against Pepperdine on Dec. 29. She broke the school record for most made 3-pointers in a season with 94.

Truong was also recently named to the Nancy Lieberman preseason watch list. Maxwell was named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award preseason watch list.