Eureka College guard Shea Feehan of Peoria and North Central College forward Alex Sorenson of Dunlap were among 100 players named Monday to the initial watch list for the Clarence "Bevo" Francis Award, which is presented to the nation's top small college men's basketball player.
The winner of the annual award is chosen from players at the NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, USCAA and NCCAA levels. Small College Basketball, a publication covering basketball outside the NCAA Division I level, released the watch list.
Feehan, a junior from Peoria Notre Dame, averages 30.1 points per game to rank second in D-III. He is shooting 42.3 percent (55-for-130) on 3-pointers and 91.8 percent (89-for-97) on free throws.
Sorenson, a senior from Dunlap, averages 18.6 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. He is shooting 64 percent (121-for-189) from the field. Sorenson broke a 62-year-old North Central single-game scoring record with 54 points on 25 of 29 shooting in a 117-72 victory over Robert Morris-Chicago on Dec. 30.
The watch list will be trimmed to 50 players on Feb. 15. This is the third season for the award. Dominez Burnett of Davenport University won the 2016 honor and Justin Pitts of Northwest Missouri State University won the 2017 award.
Bevo Francis is one of college basketball's all-time great scorers. He starred at Rio Grande College in the 1950s.