Geoff Schneider

Sischo Named To Bevo Francis Award Top 100 Watch List

Award given to the best small college basketball player in the country

1/15/2022 2:00:00 PM

By: CONTACT: Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for Communications/Operations | 716-839-8385 | mmiranto@daemen.edu

AMHERST, N.Y. - Daemen College star center Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) has been named to the Bevo Francis Award Top 100 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).

This marks the third season that Sischo has been under consideration for this prestigious award. He was one of 14 finalists for the award following the 2019-20 season. There was no award given for the 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Congratulations to every player that is on this list, as this is a very elite list of players," said Small College Basketball founder John McCarthy. "Within all of college basketball at the small college levels, there are approximately 14,000-16,000 players, and there are only 100 players on this list. Each player on this list is in the midst of a fantastic season, both individually, and as a team. It's important to note that this is a very challenging process, and I am grateful for tremendous input from our committee, and I'm grateful for all of the information that was sent to us from coaches, SID's and others. Once again, congratulations to each player that is on this prestigious list."

Sischo, a 6-foot-9 graduate student, has once again put up monster numbers to lead the Wildcats this season. He leads the East Coast Conference in both scoring (22.7 ppg) and rebounding (13.6 rpg). He entered this weekend leading all Division II players in rebounding and double-doubles (13) while ranking ninth in scoring. He's put up 20 or more points in 10 games so far this season, helping Daemen get off to a 9-6 start, including a perfect 6-0 mark in conference play.

Seemingly every game Sischo adds a new milestone to a closet already full of them. During the course of this season, he's become the all-time leading rebounder for both Daemen and the ECC, as well as the ECC's all-time leading scorer. Sischo became Daemen's all-time leading scorer and the first player in program history to reach 2,000 points last season. He recently became only the 34th player in NCAA Division II history to reach 2,500 career points and later passed Niagara University legend Calvin Murphy to become the all-time leading scorer for a men's collegiate program within Western New York. In 119 career games, Sischo has totaled 2,563 points, 1,305 rebounds and 73 double-doubles, making him NCAA Division II's active leader in all three categories. He ranks 24th in scoring and 10th in rebounding all-time in Division II.

A three-time ECC Player of the Year and two-time consensus All-American, Sischo is one of 40 NCAA Division II players named to the Bevo Francis Award Top 100 Watch List. He joins St. Thomas Aquinas' Osbel Caraballo and Demetre Roberts as representatives of the ECC on the list.

On February 15, Small College Basketball will publish the next Watch List with 50 players. The list will be narrowed down to 25 players in a Watch List published on March 15. The finalists will be announced on April 2 and the 2022 Bevo Francis Award winner will be announced on April 4.

Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 18 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.

Follow the Daemen College men's basketball program on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @DaemenMBB.

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