Jo Valrie named to Bevo Francis Award Top 50 Watch List representing No. 17 Point Park
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Jo Valrie from Point Park University has been named to the Bevo Francis Award Top 50 Watch List as announced by Small College Basketball on Feb. 15, 2024. The award is given annually to the top player in men's college basketball below NCAA Division I.
After the Top 100 Watch List was announced on Jan. 15, the list has been trimmed down to the Top 50 one month later. The list will be cut down to 25 players on March 15 before the finalists will be announced on April 8.
"Congratulations to all 50 players on the Bevo Francis Award Watch List," said John McCarthy, the founder of Small College Basketball, a website dedicated to covering the sport. "This is an incredible honor as this represents 50 players out of approximately 13,000 to 16,000 players that are competing at the small college levels. Each player is in the midst of an outstanding season, both individually and as a team. I am very grateful to our SCB National Awards Committee for such tremendous input on this list."
Valrie, a 6-5 junior from Houston, Texas, is averaging a double-double of 20.6 points and 10.3 rebounds per game on the season. He is 25th in the NAIA in scoring and 10th in rebounding. Valrie shoots 47 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3-point range and 83 percent from the foul line. He has 12 double-doubles in 23 games, including three in a row.
Valrie and teammate Jalen Stamps were named to the Top 100 Watch List. The very competitive selection process had Valrie advance although both Pioneers players are having outstanding seasons.
"First and foremost, I want to thank my Lord and savior for blessing me with this opportunity," said Valrie. "I'm truly grateful. I also want to thank my teammates and coaches for pushing me and holding me accountable every game to stay positive and focused. Without them, none of this is possible."
Valrie has been recognized on the Bevo Francis Award Watch List the last two years, but this was his first time he advanced to the Top 50. Stamps made the Top 100 for the first time and is having a great year as well. The senior point guard from Indianapolis, Ind., is averaging 20.0 points, 5.0 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game. He is one of the few guards in the country with that combination of stats, and he's eighth in the NAIA with 73 made 3-pointers in 25 games.
"It was a blessing to make it on this list the last two years," said Valrie. "To make it along with teammate Jalen Stamps was very special. Jalen is a great player and a better teammate, and the work he's put in has definitely paid off this year. He is having an exceptional year and unfortunately he did not make the Top 50, but I feel he deserves it as much as anyone. But it's all fine as we stay locked in on what's most important which is winning the conference, the conference tournament and the national championship. Anything outside of that is not even important."
Click here for the complete list of the Bevo Francis Award Top 50 Watch List
ABOUT THE BEVO FRANCIS AWARD
The Clarence "Bevo" Francis Award is presented annually to the player who has had the finest overall season within Small College Basketball. Considerations will be season statistics and individual achievements, awards, personal character and team achievements. This is an incredibly prestigious award, as this award will only be given to one player within Small College Basketball per season. This marks the eighth year of the Bevo Francis Award. Bevo Francis was a legendary player at fellow River States Conference school University of Rio Grande (Ohio).
The Bevo Francis Awards Committee consists of the following coaches: Gary Stewart - Stevenson (Md.), Chris Briggs - Georgetown (Ky.), Bill Dreikosen - Rocky Mountain (Mont.), Mark Berokoff – Oklahoma City, Mike Donnelly – Florida Southern, Sam Hargraves – Olivet (Mich.), Richard Westerlund – Great Lakes Christian, Chase Tiechmann – Florida College, Aaron Siebenthall – Ottawa (Kan.), Mark Vanderslice – USC – Aiken, Matt O'Brien – Southwestern (KS), Chris Wright – Langston (OK), Ben Thompson – Emory & Henry, Justin Leslie – Midwestern State, Raul Placeres – Maryville College (TN), Chris Martin – Loras (IA), John Lamanna – Whitman (WA), Brian Miller – MSOE, Justin Downer – Point Loma Nazarene.
To stay up to date on all things Small College Basketball or to learn more about the Bevo Francis Award, please head to smallcollegebasketball.com.