AMHERST, N.Y. - Junior men's basketball player Gerald Beverly (Rochester, N.Y./Gates Chili) was named the Daemen College Male Athlete of the Year tonight at the College's 2013-14 Athletics Awards Banquet held in the Social Room of the Charles J. Wick Campus Center. The award was announced near the end of the evening by master of ceremonies Jeremy White of WGR-550 Sports Radio and Beverly was greeted by Daemen President Dr. Gary A. Olson and Director of Athletics William Morris who presented him with a glass-engraved plaque to commemorate the accomplishment.

Beverly, a 6-foot-7 junior developed into a beast on the interior this season, helping Daemen capture the East Coast Conference (ECC) regular season championship in the team's first year as a member of the league. For the season, Beverly led the team in both scoring and rebounding (18.9 ppg, 10.0 rpg) and became the first Daemen player to average a double-double for an entire season since Brian Pettit in 1998-99. As if that weren't enough, he shot 57-percent from the field and added 4.0 blocks per game as well.

"I couldn't be prouder of Gerald for everything he's accomplished in his career thus far, including this prestigious honor," said his coach, Don Silveri, the longtime bench boss who recently completed his 25^th season at the helm for the Wildcats.

Beverly's season totals were gaudy. In addition to his 528 points, he collected 280 rebounds - the eighth-highest single-season total in team history. By blocking 111 shots, he became only the third player in team history to reach 100 blocks in a season. He scored in double figures in all 28 games - giving him a current streak of 30 straight dating back to last season - while also accumulating 16 double-doubles, nine 20-point games and nine games with five or more blocks.

He opened the season by earning M.V.P. honors at Daemen's own tournament, the Knee Center of Western New York Tip-Off Classic, helping the Wildcats to consecutive victories over Ohio Valley University and Goldey-Beacom College, the latter coming without regular starters Sheehan, Johnson or Mark Coppola (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville South) in the lineup. He recorded back-to-back double-doubles and averaged 19.5 points and 14.5 rebounds over the two games to kick-start what turned out to be a phenomenal junior season.

League play got underway when the Wildcats visited Roberts Wesleyan College in Beverly's hometown of Rochester and big No. 55 didn't disappoint the crowd that gathered to see him play as he picked up his third double-double of the year with 11 points and 12 boards while adding three blocks.

Following a 16-day hiatus between games, Beverly erupted for 28 points on 10-for-15 shooting in just 28 minutes as he battled foul trouble during a tough 95-83 loss at Long Island University Post on December 13. Road losses at New York Tech and Molloy College followed, the latter coming despite Beverly's fourth double-double of the season which included a career-best 16 rebounds.

From there, Beverly helped the Wildcats rip off 16 wins in their last 17 games. The only blemish in the stretch was a non-conference loss at Dominican College in early January and all 16 wins came in conference play. In that conference winning streak, Beverly averaged 19.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and 4.9 blocks per game while putting together some memorable performances to say the least.

There was the 25-point, 8-block outing at St. Thomas Aquinas College on January 4 - a 79-75 victory. That was followed by 18 points and a career-best 11 blocks in a 99-92 road win at Mercy College two days later.

He logged a career-high 43 minutes and contributed 17 points and 15 boards when the Wildcats overcame a 16-point second half deficit to hand Dowling College their first league loss of the season, 79-72 in overtime.

His dunk with 2:50 remaining knotted the score at 85-apiece when the Wildcats avenged that early season loss to LIU Post by knocking off the Pioneers, 94-91, before a raucous home crowd on January 31. Beverly hit 7-of-10 from the field for 17 points to go with eight boards and five blocks in the win.

Back on the road, Beverly canned 12-of-18 from the field and 10-of-15 from the free throw line as part of a 34-point outing - the first 30-point game of his career - in a 92-71 win at the University of the District of Columbia on February 14.

After closing out the regular season with back-to-back doubles vs. Dowling and the University of Bridgeport to clinch the conference title for Daemen, Beverly was rightfully recognized by the league's head coaches as we was named the ECC Defensive Player of the Year and first team all-conference. He was also a three-time ECC Player of the Week recipient throughout, tied for the most in the league with Molloy College's John Petrucelli, the conference Player of the Year.

The hits kept on coming as Beverly led the Wildcats into the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Division I National Championships as the tournament's top seed. In the opening round, Beverly set a tournament record with a career-high 40 points to lead Daemen past eighth-seeded Concordia College (Ala.). Although the Wildcats would be upset in the semifinal round by Washington Adventist University, Beverly was named to the all-tournament team. That selection came just days after he was also named a first team USCAA All-American.

Add it all up, and you get one of the most dominant campaigns in team history. Beverly ended the season as the ECC leader in rebounding, field goal percentage and blocks and ranked fourth in the league in scoring.

Big No. 55 also reached some significant career milestones during the season as well. He first grabbed his 500th career rebound in the OT win at Dowling and, two weeks later, scored his 1000th career point in the win vs. LIU Post. He would later block his 200th career shot vs. UDC and in so doing, became the first Daemen player to accumulate 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 blocks in a career.

Beverly has additionally played a starring role in the Wildcats' current 35-game home winning streak - one of the longest active streaks in the country. In the Wildcats' unblemished 13-0 home record this season, Beverly averaged 17.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Over the course of his career, he's averaged 14.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. The team's home record in his career: 36-1.

"The sky is the limit for Gerald, really," Silveri said. "Watching him now, it's hard to believe that he wasn't a highly sought-after recruit coming out of high school. But, that's a testament to all the work he has put in over the last three years. Sure, he's as physically gifted as anyone we've ever had here, but that doesn't always translate into production. Gerald understands the kind of work ethic it takes to be great and that's exactly what he was for us this year - he was great. His presence at the defensive end of the floor was fantastic, be it blocking or altering shots or rebounding, and, offensively, he's more than a dunker now. He has a nice low post game, a decent mid-range jumper, and he's a tough matchup for anybody."

Beverly is the third consecutive men's basketball player to be named as Daemen's Male Athlete of the Year. His former teammates Dom Mazzocchi (Geneva, N.Y./Finger Lakes CC) and Casey Sheehan (Rochester, N.Y./Gates Chili) are the two previous winners of the award which was instituted in 2012.

Nominations for the award are made by Office of Athletic Communications and nominees are then voted on by the department's head coaches and other full-time staffers. Additional nominees this year included dual sport athlete Kyle Clifford (West Seneca, N.Y./St. Francis), who was nominated for his exploits on the soccer field, freshman cross country runner Matt Cregan (Syracuse, N.Y./Solvay) and golfer Tom Romano (Depew, N.Y./Depew).