Charleston’s Barbot Named to 2026 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Preseason Watch List
Ben Kane
HOPEWELL, N.J. (Oct. 22, 2025) – CAA Preseason Player of the Year and Charleston junior guard Taryn Barbot has been named to the 2026 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Preseason Watch List by Her Hoop Stats.
The 25-player watchlist consists of student-athletes from 19 programs across 12 different conferences. To be eligible for the award, players must compete in one of the 26 conferences deemed to be “mid major”, not including: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, and SEC.
Barbot is the first Charleston player to receive the honor after leading the conference in eight statistical categories last season, averaging 17.7 points per game alongside 7.2 rebounds. The Floral Park, N.Y. resident became the first sophomore in program history and the fastest Charleston basketball player, across both men and women, to reach 1,000 career points.
The program’s first CAA Player of the Year eclipsed 10 or more points in her last 18 games of the 2024-25 campaign and reached double digits in 27 of her 33 contests last year.
Claiming All-CAA First Team and All-Defensive Team honors last season, Barbot was a force on both ends of the court, registering 75 steals and helping the Cougars become the Division I statistical champions with a +9.85 turnover margin.
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. This list is fluid, and players may play their way on or off it over the course of the season.
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