Smuda Named to Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award Watch List
10/9/2024 11:02:00 AM | Women's Basketball
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty's Bella Smuda made program history with her inclusion on the preseason watch list for the 2025 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award presented by Her Hoop Stats. She is the first Lady Flame ever to be included on the watch list for the Becky Hammon Award, which was first given out in 2020.
Smuda is one of two CUSA players included on the 25-player watch list, joining Middle Tennessee center Anastasiia Boldyreva. Gonzaga's Yvonne Ejim, who won the 2024 Becky Hammon Award, is back on the watch list this season.
A 6-6 redshirt senior center from Exton, Pa., Smuda is coming off an impressive 2023-24 campaign. A first team All-CUSA performer, Smuda was also named to the CUSA All-Defensive Team and CUSA All-Tournament Team.
Smuda led the Lady Flames in points (15.0 ppg), rebounds (10.0 rpg), blocked shots (2.3 bpg), field goal percentage (58.5) and double-doubles (18) a year ago. She was the first Lady Flame to average a double-double for a full season since 2011-12 (Avery Warley) and her 77 blocked shots were the most by a Liberty player since 2004-05 (Katie Feenstra - 80).
Smuda scored in double figures 27 times in 34 games in 2023-24, including in each of the season's final 15 contests. She notched eight 20-point contests with a high of 27 vs. UTEP on Feb. 3. Smuda grabbed 10+ rebounds 19 times on the year, including a career-best 17 at Jacksonville State on Jan. 10.
To be eligible for the Becky Hammon 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.
Becky 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.
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. It 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 a newsletter, podcast network, YouTube channel and social media accounts.
Smuda is one of two CUSA players included on the 25-player watch list, joining Middle Tennessee center Anastasiia Boldyreva. Gonzaga's Yvonne Ejim, who won the 2024 Becky Hammon Award, is back on the watch list this season.
A 6-6 redshirt senior center from Exton, Pa., Smuda is coming off an impressive 2023-24 campaign. A first team All-CUSA performer, Smuda was also named to the CUSA All-Defensive Team and CUSA All-Tournament Team.
Smuda led the Lady Flames in points (15.0 ppg), rebounds (10.0 rpg), blocked shots (2.3 bpg), field goal percentage (58.5) and double-doubles (18) a year ago. She was the first Lady Flame to average a double-double for a full season since 2011-12 (Avery Warley) and her 77 blocked shots were the most by a Liberty player since 2004-05 (Katie Feenstra - 80).
Smuda scored in double figures 27 times in 34 games in 2023-24, including in each of the season's final 15 contests. She notched eight 20-point contests with a high of 27 vs. UTEP on Feb. 3. Smuda grabbed 10+ rebounds 19 times on the year, including a career-best 17 at Jacksonville State on Jan. 10.
To be eligible for the Becky Hammon 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.
Becky 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.
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. It 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 a newsletter, podcast network, YouTube channel and social media accounts.
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