BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Western Washington University senior forward Deandre Dickson has been named to the Bevo Francis Award Top 100 Watch List recognizing the top men’s basketball players across the NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA Division I, NAIA Division II, USCAA and NCCAA divisions, announced Monday by Small College Basketball.
Dickson (Easton, CA/Bakersfield College) has started all 16 games for the Vikings (13-3, 8-0 GNAC) this season, averaging 15.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. He has scored in double-digits in 14 of 16 games and is tied for 4th in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with five double-doubles. In two seasons with the Vikings, Dickson is averaging 14.5 points per game (38 games) and 7.0 rebounds per game.
This marks the third year of the Bevo Francis Award, with former Vikings Kyle Impero (2015-16), Jeffrey Parker (2016-17) and Taylor Stafford (2016-17) all being named to the watch list in past seasons. Stafford was one of 25 finalists for the award last season while earning First Team All-America honors by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
The Bevo Francis Award is presented annually by Small College Basketball, Inc. to the player with the best overall season in small-college basketball player this year. A committee of college coaches narrowed the list down to 100 players from over 1,100 colleges and universities and took into consideration individual statistics, previous awards, milestones and team success.
WWU head coach Tony Dominguez is one of the 14 members of the Bevo Francis Award committee, made up of college coaches and administrators.
On February 15, SCB 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 in a highlight video that will be released on March 31.
The 2018 Bevo Francis Award winner will be announced on April 2 but for the first time, the award will be presented to the award winner on May 19 at the newly created National Awards Show in conjunction with the SCB Alumni Association’s Celebration of the Game event at the Crowne Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri.
The Vikings are 13-3 overall and take a current 8-game winning streak into this weekend’s road trip to face the Alaska schools. WWU is in first place in the GNAC with a perfect 8-0 league record, is ranked No. 2 in the D2SIDA West Region Poll and re-entered the national top 25.
Photo and release courtesy of WWU Athletics
