Bernard Named To Watch List For Bevo Francis Award

Northwest Missouri State University senior guard Diego Bernard is among the 25 candidates for the 2023 Bevo Francis Award.

He led the Bearcats in scoring (16.3 ppg), rebounds (165), assists (117), steals (72), field goals made (196) and free throws made (122). Bernard ranks tied for No. 7 in the nation in total steals (71).

Bernard completed his Bearcat career with the third-highest scoring total (2,205), trailing only Justin Pitts (2,459) and Trevor Hudgins (2,829). Bernard is Northwest’s all-time leading rebounder with 963 career boards.

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 seventh year for the Bevo Francis Award, after the award was not presented in 2021. Past winners include Dominez Burnett of Davenport University in 2016, Justin Pitts of Northwest Missouri State University in 2017, Emanuel Terry of Lincoln Memorial University in 2018, Aston Francis of Wheaton College in 2019, Kyle Mangas of Indiana Wesleyan University in 2020 and Trevor Hudgins of Northwest Missouri State in 2022.

On April 1, the finalists of this year’s award will be announced, followed by the Bevo Francis Award winner being crowned April 3.