Five #GLIACMBB Standouts Named to Bevo Francis Watchlist

Posted: Jan 16, 2018

GLIAC -- Small College Basketball released the Top 100 Watchlist for the 2017-18 Bevo Francis Award on Monday, January 15. Five men's basketball standouts from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) earned recognition. The student-athletes on the watchlist are comprised of the best players from Division II, Division III, the NAIA, USCAA and NCCAA.

Michigan Tech junior forward Kyle Monroe leads the conference in scoring at a 24.4 points per game clip while also first the in the GLIAC in minutes per game, while sitting second in free throw percentage (88.4) and fourth in rebounds per contest (8.1).

Ashland redshirt senior forward Wendell Davis is second in points per contest behind Monroe (21.7), fifth in three-point field goal percentage (43.2), sixth in field goal percentage (52.5) and seventh in rebounds per game (7.0). Davis has been named GLIAC South Division Player of the Week six times this season.

Lake Superior State senior guard Akaemji Williams leads the league in both assists (7.1) and steals (3.1) while sitting third in points for game (19.6). Williams is also stellar from the line shooting 83.3 percent to place fourth in the league.

Ferris State senior guard Drew Cushingberry ranks second in the GLIAC in assists at 5.9 per contest behind Williams, while residing in the Top 10 in total steals, blocks and points. Fellow FSU teammate junior Zach Hankins leads the conference in blocks (3.3) and rebounds (8.7) as the reigning GLIAC Player of the Year also ranks second in field goal percentage (62.4) for the #7 Bulldogs.

The award was created in 2015 and is named after Clarence "Bevo" Francis. Francis played two seasons at what is now the University of Rio Grande. In his first season, he led the team to a 39-0 record avergaing 50.1 points per game, highlighted by a 116-point performance against Ashland College in Kentucky.

DII basketball sends 47 to the initial watchlist. Lincoln Memorial had three players named (Dorian Pinson, Trevon Shaw, and Emanuel Terry), the most of any DII school. Three DII schools -- Ferris State, Christian Brothers, and Northwest Missouri State -- are represented by two players

The committee will continue to cut down the watchlist as the season progresses. The release dates for 2018 are: