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Becky Hammon visits CSU basketball as McKenna Hofschild named Mountain West's best player

kevin lytle, fort collins coloradoan
·2 min read
Colorado State women's basketball senior point guard McKenna Hofschild makes a drive to the basket during a game against BYU at Moby Arena on Nov. 8, 2022, in Fort Collins.
Colorado State women's basketball senior point guard McKenna Hofschild makes a drive to the basket during a game against BYU at Moby Arena on Nov. 8, 2022, in Fort Collins.

One Colorado State legend was at practice, and one emerging legend earned another top award.

It was a big Mountain West tournament eve for the Colorado State women's basketball team Sunday.

The league announced that star point guard McKenna Hofschild was voted MW Player of the Year by the league's coaches.

CSU legend Becky Hammon, who coaches the Las Vegas Aces, was on hand in the locker room at practice in Las Vegas to help share the news of the award.

The Rams open the Mountain West tournament at 8:30 p.m. Mountain on Monday, March 6, as the No. 3 seed, playing No. 6 Boise State after the Broncos beat No. 11 Utah State on Sunday.

Hofschild led the MW in points per game (20.9), assist/turnover ratio (3.48), assists per game (7.2) and minutes per game (37.2), among several other statistical categories. Hofschild is seven assists away from matching her own school record for single-season assists.

She's now been named all-conference in all three of her seasons at CSU and is eligible for another year as a Ram.

Hammon was a three-time WAC Player of the Year at CSU and spoke to the Rams ahead of the MW tournament. She told CSURams.com that she has to leave Las Vegas on Monday and wanted to speak to the team before they played.

More:How CSU basketball's McKenna Hofschild is putting up Becky Hammon numbers for the Rams

Destiny Thurman wins award

CSU's Destiny Thurman also joined Hofschild on the first-team all-conference list, and she was named the Mountain West's Newcomer of the Year.

Thurman is averaging 13.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in her first season as a Ram after transferring in from UTEP. It's the third year in a row for a CSU player winning Newcomer of the Year, as Thurman follows Upe Atosu last season and Hofschild the year before.

Cailyn Crocker was named honorable mention all-conference.

More:What to know about Colorado State in Mountain West women's basketball tournament

Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on Twitter and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Becky Hammon visits CSU basketball as McKenna Hofschild wins award