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HOPEWELL, N.J. – Redshirt junior guard Erica Johnson (Mansfield, Ohio) and senior guard Cece Hooks (Dayton, Ohio) have been named to the 2021 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year midseason watch list, Her Hoop Stats announced on Wednesday (Jan. 6).
The list was narrowed from 25 players in the nation to 15 on Wednesday. Ohio is the only school in the nation to have two players on the list.
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, Pac-12, and SEC. The 10 semifinalists will be announced in February, with five finalists being announced in early March. The winner will be announced in late March. The list is fluid and players may play their way on or off the list over the course of the season.
The award was first given out in 2020, with South Dakota's Ciara Duffy winning the first honor.
In the Mid-American Conference, Hooks and Johnson are joined by Micaela Kelly of Central Michigan, Dyaisha Fair of Buffalo and Lexi Fleming of Bowling Green.
Hooks won the MAC Defensive Player of the Year last season for the second-straight season and was also named to the All-MAC first team and MAC All-Defensive team. Hooks became the career record holder for steals with 316, and finished the season fifth in the country at 3.7 steals per game. Hooks averaged a career-high 18.2 points per game. This season, Hooks is No. 6 in the nation in points per game at 25.0.
Johnson was on the All-MAC first team after finishing fourth in the league in points per game with a team-best 18.6. Johnson averaged 21.4 points and 7.4 rebounds in conference play. had 30 or more points in a game three times this season, including a career-high 36 against Kent State on the road. Johnson garnered the program's first triple-double, and became a 1,000 point scorer for Ohio in the MAC Tournament win over Western Michigan. This season, Johnson is No. 14 in the nation at 23.8 points per game.
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