HOPEWELL, N.J.—South Dakota senior center Hannah Sjerven was one of 25 women recognized Wednesday on the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year preseason watch list presented by Her Hoop Stats.
 
Sjerven was voted the Summit League Preseason Player of the Year for 2020-21, one of three Coyotes to earn preseason all-league honors. She averaged 12.2 points, 7.3 boards and 2.0 blocks per game last season. Sjerven was the most accurate shooter in the league at 58.1 percent. She ranks fourth on USD's career blocks chart after two seasons with 126.
 
A native of Rogers, Minnesota, Sjerven has received a handful of Summit League awards in her time with the Coyotes. As a junior in 2019-20, she was the Summit Defensive Player of the Year, Tournament MVP and first-team honoree. She was the Summit's Sixth Woman of the Year and Transfer of the Year as a sophomore.
 
Sjerven's Coyotes are the reigning Summit League champions. South Dakota, with its 30-2 record last season, was receiving votes in the preseason Associated Press poll announced yesterday. The Coyotes open the 2020-21 season with No. 1 South Carolina on Nov. 28 in the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic at the Sanford Pentagon.
 
Coyote alumna Ciara Duffy was the inaugural winner of the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year in 2019-20.
 
About the Becky Hammon Award
The Becky Hammon award is designed to recognize the best mid-major player in women's basketball. It is named for South Dakota basketball legend Becky Hammon, who became the first full-time coach in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014. Hammon spent 16 years playing in the WNBA and her last eight with the San Antonio Stars, where her number was retired in 2016. She was a six-time WNBA All-Star.
 
About Her Hoop Stats
Her Hoop Stats was founded in 2017 to unlock better insight about women's basketball at all levels. The statistics-focused website focuses on providing consistent, reliable and easy-to-access data about women's basketball. Her Hoop Stats has expanded to become a leading independent voice in the women's game providing content through its newsletter, podcast and social media platforms.