McKenna Hofschild: Writing a legacy of her own

Editor’s Note: Read the Spanish version of this article here.

Every time McKenna Hofschild comes up the floor, her opponents know she’s going to give the play her all — and that’s exactly how she wants it.

“I just want to be the person who comes out on the court every day and (who) people look at and say, ‘She’s going to bring it,’ every time,” Hofschild said. “I’m going to come and give everything I’ve got. We might win, we might lose, but I’m going to give my heart every single time I step on the floor.”

Typically, the star guard spends less than three minutes on the bench each game, averaging a whopping 37.1 minutes on the court. As she closes out her 2022-23 campaign, Hofschild’s outstanding season has gained her considerable national attention.

“I think just how she’s handling the whole year, with the attention she’s getting from opponents, is incredible. She’s all about making the right play. The balance that she’s playing with is ridiculously good right now.” -Ryun Williams, Rams women’s basketball head coach

One of the awards she’s been named a semifinalist for, the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year award, is named in honor of the legendary Colorado State University guard whose retired number now hangs in the rafters in Moby Arena.

“It’s very cool. Just to be mentioned with her is such an honor,” Hofschild said. “To know what she means to this program and this university, it’s really humbling.”

Hammon rewrote the team’s record books during her time in Fort Collins from 1995-99. To this day, she remains at the top of almost every scoring record, including the top four spots in the category for total points in a season.

“I think it adds a different level to (the award),” head coach Ryun Williams said. “(Hammon) is arguably the greatest player to ever play here.”

Today, Hofschild has begun to write her name in the record books in her own way. Her 557 points scored in the 2021-22 season placed her seventh on the list for total points in a season, but she has made the biggest splash with her assist numbers.

She became the only player in CSU women’s basketball history to record over 200 assists in a season during the 2021-22 campaign, earning the record for most assists in a season. In the same season, she also set the team record for most assists in a single game, recording an astonishing 17 assists in the Jan. 19, 2022, game against Utah State University.

“I think you see a young lady that’s focused on just winning that game and doing whatever it takes,” Williams said. “Some nights she’s really scored it, (but) some nights it’s been more about distributing. Each game has a life of its own, and she’s really good at adjusting to that.”

Hofschild, eager to always credit her teammates, is grateful to those around her for putting her in the position to be able to contribute beyond scoring.

“Everyone around me has elevated my game,” Hofschild said. “I think being here has really helped put me in this position now where I’m on those lists. Being here has put me in such a good spot, both on and off the court.”

This season, Hofschild is averaging 21.2 points and 7.3 assists per game, leading the Mountain West Conference comfortably in both stats. She is the only player averaging above 20 points per game in the conference, and she has nearly three more assists per game than second place’s average of 4.7.

The only player who comes close to Hofschild’s point average is University of Nevada, Las Vegas center Desi-Rae Young, who was also named a Mid-Major Player of the Year semifinalist. Young, who is averaging 18.1 points a game, also leads the conference in rebounds with 10.3 per game. 

“(Young) is a great player, and I think when you play against really good players, you want to elevate yourself,” Hofschild said. “I think we probably push each other when we have that matchup.”

This was certainly true for Hofschild, who exploded for a season-high 37 points in a 91-88 overtime loss against Young’s UNLV squad Dec. 31, 2022. 

However, with all of the positive attention comes defensive attention from opponents. As Hofschild has progressed through her career at CSU, she has increasingly faced physical defense from teams looking to rattle her.

“I think just how she’s handling the whole year, with the attention she’s getting from opponents, is incredible,” Williams said. “She’s all about making the right play. The balance that she’s playing with is ridiculously good right now.”

While Hofschild is used to getting rattled, she has made the adjustment to deal with the scrappiness that comes from facing physical defenses.

“It’s definitely something that I’ve had to kind of learn to overcome and deal with and mentally just be stronger when it comes to that type of play,” Hofschild said. “Each year I’ve had to take on more of a leadership role and be able to be mentally strong.”

Beyond being named a Mid-Major Player of the Year semifinalist, she was also named a Top 10 candidate for the season’s Nancy Lieberman Award, which recognizes the nation’s top collegiate point guard in women’s basketball. She has also received the title of Mountain West Player of the Week three times this season, most recently on Feb. 6.

“I think my favorite part of getting Player of the Week is that most of the time it’s because we got two wins that week,” Hofschild said. “I think getting those two wins feels even better than Player of the Week.”

Ultimately though, beyond the team’s success, Hofschild has her eyes on the award named after the Colorado State great.

“My personal goal? I want to be Player of the Year,” Hofschild said. “I don’t know if it’ll happen, but I think that would be a huge accomplishment for me.”

Reach Kaden Porter at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @kqporter5.