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, 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).
It marks the second-straight season that Sischo has been under consideration for this prestigious award. Last year he advanced to the round of 25 finalists.
"Congratulations to the 50 players that have made the Bevo Francis Watch List. What an accomplishment," said Small College Basketball Founder John McCarthy. "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."
Sischo, a 6-foot-9 redshirt junior center, has been the catalyst behind Daemen's seventh 20-win campaign in the last nine seasons. He has appeared in 25 of the team's 26 games and is averaging 24.2 points, 11.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game, while shooting 64 percent from the field, 48 percent from three-point range and 73 percent from the free throw line. Sischo has racked up 17 double-doubles this season, ranking second among all NCAA Division II players. He also entered this weekend ranking among the Division II leaders in rebounding (4th), scoring (8th) and field goal percentage (12th).
Sischo entered the 2019-20 season with high expectations after being named the ECC Preseason Player of the Year for the second-straight year. He has more than lived up to the preseason hype, as he led the Wildcats to wins in 11 of their first 12 games and a No. 8 ranking in both the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and Division II Sports Information Director Association national polls. Now at 20-6 overall and 9-3 in East Coast Conference play, the Wildcats have gotten plenty of big outings from Sischo along the way. He's posted 18 games of 20+ points and reached 30 points five times.
Daemen opened the season in prestigious fashion as they were selected to take part in the Small College Basketball National Hall of Fame Classic held at the St. Joseph (Mo.) Civic Arena. In a battle of nationally-ranked teams, Daemen fell 85-65 in their season opener against No. 1 Northwest Missouri State. Sischo impressed against the highly-touted Bearcats as he recorded 24 points and 15 rebounds. The Wildcats regrouped for a come-from-behind win the following night against Missouri Western State and Sischo totaled 11 points and 12 boards. Those efforts earned him a spot on the all-tournament team. The following weekend he was named MVP of the ECC-CACC Challenge after averaging 32.5 points, 18.0 rebounds and 4.5 blocks in Daemen's victories over Felician University and Nyack College.
He added to his resume with two impressive efforts in wins over defending Atlantic Region champions Mercyhurst University and nationally-ranked West Liberty University. He put up 22 points and 11 rebounds in a 67-65 win over Mercyhurst and followed up 29 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks in a 98-83 win over West Liberty. The Hilltoppers entered the game ranked in the top-five of both Division II national polls.
Additional highlights of his season so far include: 27 points and 11 rebounds in an 89-79 win over Le Moyne College, 16 points and 20 boards in an 83-57 win over University of the Sciences, 34 points and 12 rebounds in an 89-59 win over Salem University, 34 points in a 96-88 win at The College of Saint Rose, 28 points and 11 rebounds in a 67-64 loss to the University of Bridgeport, 25 points (on 12-of-13 shooting) and 12 rebounds in an 84-74 win at Queens College and 19 points and eight boards in an 81-77 defeat of nationally-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas College.
Sischo's efforts have not gone unnoticed throughout the year. He was named Division II National Player of the Week by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association in back-to-back weeks and has also been a five-time ECC Player of the Week selection. In addition, he was twice named the ECC Defensive Player of the Week earlier this year.
He is a two-time first-team All-ECC pick and was named the ECC Player of the Year last winter. He was also honored by the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA) as the 2018-19 East Region Player of the Year and first-team all-district, and was also named first-team all-district by the NABC. He has played in 83 of a possible 86 games over his three-year career and has led Daemen to a 66-20 record. He has totaled 1,652 career points (19.9 per game) and 830 career rebounds (10.0 per game) and is one of only three players in program history to score 1,600 or more points and grab 800 or more rebounds. He led the Wildcats to a 24-6 record and their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament last year.
Sischo is the lone player from the ECC to be included in the Bevo Francis Award Top 50 Watch List, and one of two from NCAA Division II East Region teams. Also included from the East Region is senior forward DeVaughn Mallory of Jefferson University.
This marks the fifth season of the Bevo Francis Award. Previously recipients include Dominez Burnett of Davenport University in 2016, Justin Pitts of Northwest Missouri State University in 2017, Emanuel Terry of Lincoln Memorial University (2018) and Aston Francis of Wheaton College last season.
On March 15, Small College Basketball will publish the next Watch List with 25 players. The finalists will be announced in a highlight video that will be released on April 4 and the 2020 Bevo Francis Award winner will be announced on April 6.
Daemen College features the only NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.
