Hemphill and Bill Tabbed to Bevo Francis Award Top 50 Watch List

Release courtesy of Daemen University Sports Information AMHERST, NY– After being name to the Bevo Francis Award Top 100 Watch List earlier this season, Daemen redshirt senior forward Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) and redshirt sophomore center Benjamin Bill (Hamburg, N.Y.) were each tabbed to the Bevo Francis Award Top 50 Watch List which was announced 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).   Bill and Hemphill join Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.)  as the only three players in program history to be tabbed to the top 50. It also marks the first time in program history that Daemen had two players make the top 50 as well.   "Congratulations to the 50 players on this prestigious Bevo Francis Award Watch List," stated John McCarthy, founder of Small College Basketball. "This is an elite list of players that are in the midst of fantastic seasons, on teams that are having great success. Our committee has provided tremendous insight, and I am so grateful to them. It is s such an incredibly challenging process to select 50 players from roughly 16,000-18,000 players that compete at the various small college levels, yet this is what makes this such an elite group of players. Again, congratulations to each and every player on this list. It was earned."   One of four sophomores to make the top 50, Bill has continued to lead Daemen in scoring with an average of 16.5 points per game and leads the nation in field goal percentage at .727. On the defensive side of the ball, the Hamburg, N.Y., native ranks 30th nationally in total blocks (39) and 26th in blocks per game (1.86). This season, Bill has finished with 20-or-more points on seven occasions as well, most recently on Feb. 9 at Mercy.   The team leader in rebounds with 167, Hemphill ranks first on the team for double-doubles with seven this season. The redshirt senior forward is third in the ECC for defensive rebounds per game with an average of 5.29 and fourth in rebounds per game at 7.6. A starter through all 22 games this season, Hemphill tallied 11 assists against Gannon (Jan. 18), the most assists in a game for a Daemen player this season.   Hemphill and Bill are joined by Tray Alexander of Pace University as the only three representatives from the East Region to make the top 50.   On March 15, the top 25 players will be announced. On April 5, the finalists of this year's award will be announced, followed by the Bevo Francis Award winner being crowned on April 7.
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