HOPEWELL, N.J. – Drake senior guard Katie Dinnebier has again received national recognition with her inclusion on the 2025 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Watch List, announced this morning by Her Hoop Stats.
Dinnebier, the reigning MVC Player of the Year, was named a Mid-Major Player of the Year Watch List member in both 2024 preseason and mid-season iterations. She was also a semifinalist and finalist for last season’s award.
A Waukee High School graduate, Dinnebier became ninth player in program history to win Jackie Stiles MVC Player of the Year last season and was also named to All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team and All-Defensive Team. She earned MVC Scholar-Athlete Second Team honors and collected Patty Viverito MVC Tournament Most Outstanding Player award. The Waukee High School graduate was included as a finalist for Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year award. She led Drake and was atop or near the top of the league with 18.1 points, 6.9 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per game and eclipsed 1,000 career points as a junior, currently sits at 1,333. Dinnebier ranks 10th all-time with .370 career three-point percentage and second all-time with .856 career free throw percentage, fourth all-time with 548 career assists, marking the seventh player in program history to dish out 500+ assists, and cracked top 10 on all-time steals list with 188.
This year’s watch list includes representatives from 22 teams and 15 conferences. Three teams — Fairfield, Norfolk State and South Dakota State — placed two players on the watch list, and three conferences — the AAC, MAAC and Summit League — placed three players on the preseason list.
Five players become the first to represent their school on any Hammon Award watch list: Delanie Crawford (Tulsa), Akasha Davis (Lamar), DeeDee Hagemann (Memphis), Bella Smuda (Liberty), and Harmoni Turner (Harvard).
2025 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Preseason Watch List
Meghan Andersen, So., F, Fairfield
Anastasia Boldyreva, Sr., C, Middle Tennessee
Janelle Brown, Gr., G, Fairfield
Delanie Crawford, Sr., G, Tulsa
Akasha Davis, Sr., F/C, Lamar
Katie Dinnebier, Sr., G, Drake
Yvonne Ejim, Sr., F, Gonzaga
Allyson Fertig, Jr., C, Wyoming
DeeDee Hagemann, Sr., G, Memphis
Emani Jefferson, Gr., G, FGCU
Jordyn Jenkins, Sr., F, UTSA
Diamond Johnson, Jr., G, Norfolk State
Grace Larkins, Jr., G, South Dakota
Megan McConnell, Jr., G, Duquesne
Brooklyn Meyer, Sr., F, South Dakota State
Paige Meyer, Sr., G, South Dakota State
Ny’Ceara Pryor, So., G, Sacred Heart
Emma Ronsiek, Gr., F, Colorado State
Rachael Rose, Sr., G, Wofford
Adrianna Smith, Sr., F, Maine
Bella Smuda, RSr., C, Liberty
Harmoni Turner, Sr., G, Harvard
Chellia Watson, Gr., G, Buffalo
Kierra Wheeler, Sr., F, Norfolk State
Katelyn Young, Sr., F, Murray State
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 are ineligible this year as membership in the Pac-12 Conference evolves.
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 recently named to the W25.
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 won the 2022 and 2023 WNBA Championships.
Her Hoop Stats was founded in 2017 to unlock better insight about women’s basketball at all levels. We began as a statistics site focused on providing consistent, reliable, and easy-to-access data about women’s basketball for both mobile and desktop environments. Her Hoop Stats has expanded to become a leading independent voice in the women’s game providing content through our newsletter, podcast network, YouTube channel, and social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram).
Seniors have said aging at home has become increasingly important to them and Yontz argued having the help and care they need to do that is critical. “In Iowa, there are over 330,000 unpaid family caregivers that assist their loved ones with needs that allow them to remain independent in their homes,” Yontz explained. “That might be medical care and finances to chores, transportation, grocery shopping, you name it.”
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