Small College Basketball announces 50-player watchlist

Kansas City, MO — Small College Basketball and the National Awards Committee are excited to announce the Top 50 watch list for the 2020 Bevo Francis Award. This list consists of some of the top players from NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA Division I, NAIA Division II, USCAA and NCCAA.

HISTORY: Francis highlights the best single-seasons in DII lore

John McCarthy — founder of Small College Basketball — had this to say about this year’s Top 50 watch list:

"Congratulations to the 50 players that have made the Bevo Francis Watch List. What an accomplishment. These players are breaking records and surpassing major milestones for teams that are in the midst of fantastic seasons. Knowing that these players have been chosen from over 1,100 schools — and over 15,000 players that are playing college basketball at the small college levels  — this is truly an elite group of players.”

REMEMBERING FRANCIS: A look back at his career

The Clarence “Bevo” Francis Award is presented annually to the player who has had the finest overall season within Small College Basketball. Considerations will be season statistics and individual achievements, awards, personal character and team achievements. This is an incredibly prestigious award, as this award will only be given to one player within Small College Basketball per season.

The 2020 season marks the fifth year of the Bevo Francis Award. Past winners include Dominez Burnett of Davenport University in 2016, Justin Pitts of Northwest Missouri State University in 2017, Emanuel Terry of Lincoln Memorial University in 2018, and Aston Francis of Wheaton College in 2019.

On March 15th, the list will be reduced to the Top 25 Players. On April 4th, the finalist of this year’s award will be announced, followed by the Bevo Francis Award winner being crowned on April 6th. To stay up to date on all things Small College Basketball, please head to smallcollegebasketball.com.