ORANGE CITY, Iowa – Small College Basketball released its first watch list for the Bevo Francis Award for the 2024-25 season, with Northwestern’s Alex Van Kalsbeek and Jesse Van Kalsbeek, and Dordt’s Lucas Lorenzen, being named among 100 players across NCAA DII and DIII, NAIA, USCAA, and NCCAA men’s basketball.
Northwestern’s all-time leading scorer with 2,492 points and counting, Alex Van Kalsbeek has continued to cement his status as one of the top players in the NAIA. On the year, he is averaging 22.2 points per game, 7.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. His scoring average has held in the top five of the GPAC all season.
A frontrunner for GPAC Freshman of the Year, Jesse Van Kalsbeek is averaging 20.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest in his first collegiate campaign. The freshman has scored in double figures in all but one game this season and has three double-doubles on the year.
Alex was also named to the watchlist’s top 100 and top 50 in 2022 and 2023. Northwestern was one of 13 schools to have multiple players recognized.
Dordt’s Lucas Lorenzen (Junior; Milford, Iowa) is also named as one of 100 players on the list. Lorenzen has helped the Defenders to an 18-1 start and he is averaging 22.2 points per game with 5.8 rebounds and he is converting 55.9 percent of his field goal attempts and 42.4 percent from the three-point line (56-132). Lorenzen is currently 10th in the nation in points per game and he is 23rd in three-point shots made per game.
Lorenzen has 1,470 career points and ranks eighth all time and he also has 508 career rebounds and ranks eighth at Dordt in career three-point baskets with 196.
Six GPAC athletes were named to the watch list. Noah Schutte Sr. Concordia (NE); Tristan Smith Sr. Concordia (NE) Joey Skoff Sr. Morningside;
The watch list will be reduced to 50 players on February 15 and 25 players on March 15. The finalists will be announced on April 5, with the 2025 Bevo Francis Award presented on April 7.
ABOUT THE BEVO FRANCIS AWARD
The Bevo Francis Award was created in 2015 and is named after Clarence “Bevo” Francis, who played two seasons at what is now the University of Rio Grande (Ohio). The award is presented annually to a player who has had the finest overall season in small college basketball.
