KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Black Hills State men's basketball senior Joel Scott was named a 2023 Bevo Francis Finalist, announced by Small College Basketball and the National Awards Committee on Saturday evening.

Scott continues to haul in accolades as one of the top players in the nation, with 2023 Bevo Francis Finalist being the latest added to the list.

Scott is a Bevo Francis finalist for the second-straight year after having already twice earned NABC All-America, NABC All-Region First Team, D2CCA All-Region First Team and RMAC Player of the Year. He was also recently named the 2023 D2CCA National Player of the Year.

Scott finished the season as the nation's second-leading scorer with a BHSU single-season record, 805 points, while his 23.0 points per game was eighth in the nation.

His 16 double-doubles led the nation, and his 337 rebounds ranked him second nationally. In the national rankings, Scott finished top-5 in six different categories, and top-15 in 11 different categories.

Among RMAC ranks, he led the conference in eight different statistical categories, and top-5 in 13 categories.

Now currently with 2,457 career total points, Scott recently cemented himself as the BHSU men's basketball all-time leading scorer and is also the third Yellow Jacket to join the 2,000-point club.

On Monday, April 3, the winner of the 2023 Bevo Francis Award will be crowned at halftime of the NCAA DI National Championship game.

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.

The Bevo Francis finalists consist of the top players from NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, USCAA and NCCAA.

2023 marks the seventh year of the Bevo Francis Award. 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 University in 2022. The award was not presented during the 2021 season.