FHSU Athletics
Fort Hays State guard Kaleb Hammeke has been named to the Bevo Francis Award Top 100 Watch List for the 2023-24 season. The award is presented annually to the player with the finest overall season within Small College Basketball, which encompasses NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, NCCAA, and USCAA.
Bevo Francis Award
Consideration for the award is based on season statistics, individual achievements, awards, personal character, and team achievements. It is a prestigious award given to only one player within the coverage of Small College Basketball.
The namesake of the award, Clarence "Bevo" Francis, played at Rio Grande College (now the University of Rio Grande) in Ohio in 1952-53 and 1953-54. Over two seasons at Rio Grande, Bevo averaged 47.1 points per game in 39 official contests at both the NAIA and NCAA Division II levels. He still to this day owns the NAIA single-season scoring average record, set at 48.3 points per game in 1952-53 (12 games), and the NCAA Division II single-season scoring average record of 46.5 points per game in 1953-54 (27 games). He scored a single-game NCAA Division II record 113 points in 1954, and also had a 116-point game against a college not recognized for official records.
The winner of the award in four of the last six years has been from NCAA Division II institutions. That list includes Justin Pitts of Northwest Missouri State (2017), Emanuel Terry of Lincoln Memorial (2018), Trevor Hudgins of Northwest Missouri State (2022), and RJ Sunahar of Nova Southeastern (2023).
Hammeke is among five student-athletes from the MIAA being considered for the award. He is a a three-time All-MIAA selection, which included first-team honors last year and a selection to the NABC All-District Second Team for the Central Region in 2022-23. Hammeke was also the MIAA Freshman of the Year in 2020-21.