Canada's Ejim named NCAA women's basketball mid-major player of the year

Calgary’s Yvonne Ejim has been named the 2024 Becky Hammon Player of the Year, awarded to the top mid-major player in NCAA Division 1 women’s basketball.

Ejim, a senior forward with Gonzaga, averaged 19.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.0 blocks in 34 games with the Bulldogs this season en route to being named West Coast Conference (WCC) Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.

She shot 60.1 per cent from the field and 81.5 per cent from the free-throw line.

Ejim led the Bulldogs to the Sweet 16 round of the women's NCAA championship tournament, where she had a team-high 14 points in Gonzaga's 69-47 loss to Texas.

The award named for former college and WNBA star and current Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon was first awarded in 2020.

To be eligible for the award, players must compete in one of the 26 conferences deemed to be "mid-major." Players in conferences that are considered high-major (ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12, and SEC) are ineligible.

Ejim recently announced she will use her fifth year of college eligibility to return to Gonzaga next season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 3, 2024.