BALDWIN CITY, Kan. – University of Montevallo senior Javonte Douglas has made the cut for the top 50 players on the watch list for the Bevo Francis Award, which is presented to the top player in the nation among student-athletes competing at NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, the United States Collegiate Athletic Association and the National Christian College Athletic Association.

Douglas has continued his impressive season in helping the Falcons move back into first place in the Peach Belt Conference West Division standings with a 17-7 overall record, including a 11-6 mark in conference play.

The 6-foot-8 forward from Charlotte, North Carolina is currently the only player nationally in NCAA Division II ranked in the top 10 in both scoring and rebounding.

Douglas also leads the Peach Belt Conference with his average of 24.1 points per game and 11.6 rebounds per game. He is also leading the conference with his 50 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

Douglas currently leads the Peach Belt Conference with 13 double-doubles this season. Douglas scored a career-high 34 points in the Falcons' 90-80 win over Lane College. He also grabbed a career-best 20 rebounds in the Falcons' 77-69 victory over Lander University.

The Bevo Francis Award is presented annually to the best small college player in the nation in honor of Bevo Francis. 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.

The list of players will be pared down to 50 student-athletes on Feb. 15 and 25 players on March 15. The 13 finalists will be announced on April 1 and the winner will be named on April 3.