BALDWIN CITY, Kan. -- Wisconsin-Parkside junior
Kendale McCullum is one of 100 players named to the Bevo Francis Watch List the Small College Basketball award committee announced on Sunday.
The Bevo Francis Award is presented to the top player in the nation among student-athletes competing at NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, the United States Collegiate Athletic Association and the National Christian College Athletic Association.
McCullum is having an outstanding season in helping lead the Rangers to a 14-1 start to the campaign. He ranks second on the team averaging 15.5 points per game and leads the team averaging 6.3 assists per game, 2.43 steals per game and a 2.59 assist to turnover ratio. McCullum also is averaging 4.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 50.9 percent from the floor and 76.0 percent from the free throw line.
McCullum leads the Great Lakes Valley Conference in steals per game and ranks second in assists per game and fourth in assist to turnover ratio. Additionally, he is ranked 13th in the GLVC in scoring.
McCullum also ranks among the NCAA national leaders as he is 15th nationally in assists per game, 18th in total assists, 20th in total steals, 21st in steals per game and 45th in assist to turnover ratio.
The award is presented annually to the best small college player in the nation in honor of Bevo Francis. Francis played at Rio Grande College (now the University of Rio Grande) in Ohio in 1952-53 and 1953-54. When he arrived on campus, the school had 38 male students enrolled in the school and was on the verge of bankruptcy, planning to close its doors at the end of the 1952-53 school year. In the season before Bevo arrived at Rio Grande, the Redmen (now the Red Storm) had gone 4-19.
During his two seasons at Rio Grande, Bevo became the most popular basketball player in the world, and ultimately helped to save the school from bankruptcy. During his first year, the Redmen went 39-0, and Bevo scored 1,954 points and averaged 50.1 points per game. Against Ashland College (KY), Francis scored 116 points, which included 55 points in the final 10 minutes of the game.
The list of players will be pared down to 50 student-athletes on Feb. 15 and 25 players on March 15. The 13 finalists will be announced on April 1 and the winner will be named on April 3.
Bevo Francis Watch List
Zach Allmon 6'8" Sr. Vanguard; Ray Anderson 6'3" Sr. Virginia Union; Dakari Archer 5'9" Sr. Biola; Demetric Austin 6'7" Sr. Dillard; Matt Bingaya 6'4" Sr. Fairmont State; Cory Blau 6'3" Sr. Westmont; Sam Borst-Smith 6'3" Sr. Rochester; Ken-Jah Bosley 6'2" Sr. Kentucky Wesleyan; Brian Bridgeforth 6'10" Sr Washington Adventist; Ridell Camidge 6'3" Jr. Tarleton State; Daniel Camps 6'5" Sr. Queens (NC); Lance Carter 6'4" Sr. Tabor; David Chavlovich 6'2" Jr.. West Texas A&M; Luquon Choice 6'3" Sr. Lincoln Memorial; Cameron Coleman 6'5" Sr. York (Neb.); Gage Davis 6'4" So. St. Cloud State; Jade Dawson 6'2" Jr. Amherst; David Dennis 6'0" So. West Liberty; DJ DeValk 5'10" Jr. St. Norbert; Jacobo Diaz 6'9" So. IUP; Kalidou Diouf 6'9" Jr. Cal Baptist; Javonte Douglas 6'8" Sr. Montevallo; Adam Eberhard 6'8" So. Bellarmine; A.J. Edwards 6'5" Sr. Marietta; Chimaechi Ekekeugbor 6'5" Jr. Baruch; Brandon Federici 6'4" Jr. Franklin & Marshall; Shea Feehan 6'0" So. Eureka; Joey Flannery 6'5" Sr. Babson; Elvar Fridriksson 6'0" Jr. Barry; Adrian Gonzalez 6'5" Sr. Barry; Grant Greenberg 6'2" Sr. University of St. Mary (Kan.); Evan Greening 6'4" Sr. Pitt-Bradford; Angelo Griffis 6'5" Sr. Rochester (Mich.); Warren Hall 6'5" Sr. Warner (Fla.); Zach Hankins 6'10" So. Ferris State; Tahron Harvey 6'3" Sr. Benedictine (Ill.); Juvaris Hayes 6'0" Fr. Merrimack; Jarvis Haywood 6'4" Sr. William Penn (Iowa); Juwan Henry 5'10" Sr. North Park; Haywood Highsmith 6'6" So. Wheeling Jesuit; Derylton Hill 6'5" Jr. Arkansas - Monticello; Jay Howard 6'5" Jr. Catholic; Dom Hunter 6'0" Sr. Central Washington; Ryan Imhoff 6'6" Jr. Carroll (Mont.); Jordan Jacks 6'5" Sr. Kentucky Wesleyan; Joe Jackson 6'6" Sr. Our Lady of the Lake; Romond Jenkins 6'7' Sr. Tarleton State; Josh Johnson 6'8" Sr. Kutztown; Chris Jones 6'0" Jr. Wisconsin-Whitewater; Torren Jones 6'9" Sr. William Penn (Iowa); Zach Kirschbaum 6'10" Sr. Trinity International; Ryan Logan 6'7" Sr. Stonehill; Kenny Love 6'1" Sr. Whitworth; Lane Mahurin 6'7" Sr. Indiana Wesleyan; Michael Mallory 6'2" Sr. Southern Connecticut State; Shy McCelland 6'0" Sr. Arizona Christian;
Kendale McCullum 6'1" Jr. Wisconsin-Parkside; Massiah Merritt 6'2" Sr. Berkeley; Tyheim Monroe 6'6" Jr. Cabrini; Dan Monteroso 6'3" Jr. West Liberty; John Moon 7'0" Sr. Oklahoma Christian; Khory Moore 6'0" Sr. Virginia Wesleyan; Brandon Moss 6'9" Jr. LSU-Alexandria; Gokul Natesan 6'5" Sr. Colorado Mines; Gerrard Newby 6'5" Sr. Union College (Ken.); Chauncey Orr 6'4" Gr. Hawaii Pacific; Jeffrey Parker 6'6" Sr. Western Washington; Dorian Pinson 6'5" Jr. Lincoln Memorial; Justin Pitts 5'9" Jr. Northwest Missouri State; Braxton Reeves 6'4" Sr. East Central (Okla.); Justin Reyes 6'4" Jr. St. Thomas Aquinas (N.Y.); Nic Reynolds 6'2" Jr. Columbia (Mo.); Jordan Robinson 6'3" Jr. North Park; Miles Robinson 5'11" Sr. Indiana Tech; Ty Sabin 6'2" Sr. Ripon; Devin Schmidt 6'3" Sr. Delta State; Keshun Sherrill 6'2" Sr. Augusta; Michael Smith 6'4" Sr. Cal Baptist; Xavier Smith 6'9" Sr. Oklahoma City; Trey Sneed 6'4" Jr. Randall; Jordan Spencer 6'2" Jr. Augustana (S.D.); Jason Spicer 6'6" Jr. Dakota Wesleyan; Matt St. Amour 6'3" Sr. Middlebury; Kyle Steigenga 6'6" Jr. Cornerstone; Troy Steward 6'4" So. Georgetown; Brian Sylvester 6'8" Sr. LSU-Alexandria; Colby Taylor 6'6" Sr. Central (Iowa); Jeril Taylor 6'3" Sr. Southern Indiana; Phil Taylor 5'10" Sr. Shorter; Zach Taylor 6'0" Sr. Carroll (Mont.); C.J. Turnage 6'5" Sr. Saginaw Valley State; Will Vorhees 6'8" Jr. Notre Dame (Ohio); Jordan Washington 5'10" Sr. Talladega; Keyunta Watkins 5'8" Sr. Southwest Assemblies of God; Seab Webster 6'7" Sr. Alabama-Huntsville; Stanley Whitaker 6'0" Sr. Keiser; Sekou Wiggs 6'4" Sr. Alaska Anchorage; Akaemji Williams 5'8" Jr. Lake Superior State; C.J. Wilson 5'11" Sr. Young Harris; Todd Withers 6'8" Jr. Queens (N.C.)
