BILLINGS — Jaylon Lee was recognized as one of the top small college basketball players in the country on Wednesday, being named to the Bevo Francis Top 100 Watch List.
Lee, a 6-foot-9 forward from Las Vegas, has proven himself as one of the top newcomers in the NAIA so far this season, ranking fourth in the NAIA in rebounds per game (12.7) and seventh in blocks per game (2.1). His 15.5 points per game ranks fifth in the Frontier Conference, and his 57.3% shooting percentage ranks second.
He has earned five consecutive Frontier Conference defensive player of the week awards, totaling seven on the season and also boasting one more offensive player of the week honor. Lee was named the NAIA defensive player of the week on Dec. 17 after totaling a triple-double against OUAZ, recording 10 blocks to go with 16 rebounds and 10 points.
Lee becomes the second Battlin’ Bear in as many years to be named to the Top 100 list. He is the third Battlin’ Bear to be named to the Top 100 since the award started in 2015-16 (Kael Robinson - 2023-24, Jared Samuelson - 2018-19). He was the lone Frontier Conference member on the Top 100 list.
The Bevo Francis Award Watch List will be shortened to 50 players on Feb. 15 and 25 on March 15. The finalists will be named on April 5, and the winner will be announced on April 7.
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.
About Bevo Francis
Bevo Francis played at Rio Grande College (now the University of Rio Grande) in Ohio in 1952-53 and 1953-54. When he arrived on campus, the school had 38 male students enrolled in the school and was on the verge of bankruptcy, planning to close its doors at the end of the 1952-53 school year. In the season before Bevo arrived at Rio Grande, the Redmen (now the Red Storm) had gone 4-19.
During his two seasons at Rio Grande, Bevo became the most popular basketball player in the world and ultimately helped to save the school from bankruptcy. During his first year, the Redmen went 39-0, and Bevo scored 1,954 points and averaged 50.1 points per game. Against Ashland College (Ky.), Francis scored 116 points, which included 55 points in the final 10 minutes of the game.
