Sischo Named To Bevo Francis Award Top 50 Watch List

2/15/2019 10:17:00 AM

By: By Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications

AMHERST, N.Y. - Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) of the Daemen College men's basketball team has been named to the Bevo Francis Award Top 50 Watch List which was announced today by Small College Basketball (SCB), a national organization which highlights the accomplishments of non-NCAA Division I basketball teams and student-athletes. The Bevo Francis Award is named for the former basketball star at Rio Grande College who averaged 50.1 points per game during the 1952-53 season. It is awarded to the player who is deemed to have had the finest season within Small College Basketball, which consists of NCAA Divisions II and III as well as the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) and National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA).

"This process is very challenging, as there are so many good players that are having excellent seasons," said SCB Founder John McCarthy. "It's really difficult to narrow this list to 50 players. As such, we continued to go back to our specific criteria for the Bevo Francis Award. We've considered individual achievements, season statistics, awards, milestones, and team achievement.

"As we move further into this process, personal character will become increasingly important. Bevo Francis was very focused on team success, so we emphasize a player's contributions to team success during this process. As such, while this is an individual award, team success is an important consideration. I sincerely congratulate every single member of this list. It's an incredible honor to be listed amount the nation's elite at the small college level. Importantly, I thank all of our committee members that have taken the time to provide a tremendous amount of information."

Sischo, a 6-foot-9 redshirt sophomore center, has been the catalyst behind Daemen's 19-3 start this season which has the Wildcats ranked in both Division II national polls. Daemen has won eight straight games, vaulting them to No. 11 in the Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) national poll and to No. 15 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II poll.

Sischo has appeared in 20 of the team's 22 games, and is averaging 22.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game, while shooting 59.7 percent from the field and 73.2 percent from the free throw line. Sischo has racked up 13 double-doubles this season, a total that ranks sixth among all NCAA Division II players.

Big things were expected from the Daemen big man this season. He was named the East Coast Conference Preseason Player of the Year in October. That came on the heels of his redshirt freshman campaign in which he averaged 15.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game en route to ECC Rookie of the Year and first team All-ECC honors.

Sischo has played a starring role in Daemen's recent winning streak, averaging 23.9 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. He scored 32 points and grabbed nine rebounds in Daemen's 83-64 win over rival Roberts Wesleyan College on Feb. 2. He matched his career-high with 36 points while also grabbing 16 rebounds as he helped the Wildcats avenge their only East Coast Conference loss of the season with an 89-75 win at Molloy College on Feb. 8.

Sischo, who was named to the Bevo Francis Award Top 100 Watch List last month, has been a four-time East Coast Conference Player of the Week selection this season. In his career, Sischo has appeared in 50 games and made 37 starts. He has totaled 908 points (18.2 ppg), 469 rebounds (9.4 rpg) and 21 double-doubles, and has helped Daemen to a 41-11 overall record.

Sischo is the lone player from the ECC to be included in the Bevo Francis Award Top 50 Watch List, and one of four from NCAA Division II East Region teams. Also included from the East Region are Tim Guers of Saint Anselm College, Juvaris Hayes of Merrimack College and Ryan Richmond of Bentley University.

This marks the fourth season of the Bevo Francis Award. Previously recipients include Dominez Burnett of Davenport University (Mich.) in 2016, Justin Pitts of Northwest Missouri State University in 2017 and Emanuel Terry of Lincoln Memorial University last season.

The list announced today will be narrowed down to 25 players in a Watch List published on March 15. The finalists will be announced in a highlight video that will be released on April 6.

The 2019 Bevo Francis Award winner will be announced on April 8. The award will be presented to the award winner on May 11 at the Small College Basketball National Awards Show in conjunction with the Small College Basketball Alumni Association's Celebration of the Game event at the Crowne Plaza in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.

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