Sischo Named To Bevo Francis Award Top 50 Watch List

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

2/15/2022 1:30:00 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 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).

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.

Sischo, a 6-foot-9 graduate student, has once again been the linchpin behind a successful season for the Wildcats. He leads the East Coast Conference in both scoring (21.9 ppg) and rebounding (13.5 rpg). He leads all NCAA Division II players in rebounding and double-doubles (19) while ranking 12th in scoring. He's put up 20 or more points in 13 games so far this season, including a quintet of 30-point outings, and has led Daemen to a 17-6 overall record and a perfect 14-0 mark in conference play.

It's been another milestone-filled season for the Daemen big man who is the active leader for career points (2,727), rebounds (1,411), field goals (1,084) and double-doubles (79) across all NCAA divisions. During the course of this season, Sischo has become the all-time leading rebounder for both Daemen and the ECC, as well as the ECC's all-time leading scorer. Also, Sischo recently surpassed SUNY Geneseo's Scott Fitch to become the all-time leading scorer for all NCAA men's basketball programs in New York. He ranks 19th in career points and sixth in career rebounds among the all-time leaders in NCAA Division II.

A three-time ECC Player of the Year and two-time consensus All-American, Sischo is one of 20 NCAA Division II players named to the Bevo Francis Award Top 50 Watch List. He is the lone representative out of the NCAA Division II East Region.

"Congratulations to every one of the 50 players on the Bevo Francis Award Watch List. Each player is in the midst of a tremendous season, and has helped to lead their respective teams to tremendous success thus far. This process is incredibly tough, as there are so, so many fantastic players within college basketball. I'm very grateful to our National Awards Committee for their time and insight," said John McCarthy, founder of Small College Basketball.

On March 15, Small College Basketball will publish the next Watch List with 25 players. 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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