Chico State senior forward Malik Duffy is one of two California Collegiate Athletic Association student-athletes named to the 2021–22 Bevo Francis Award Watch List, announced Saturday. The list includes 100 names from across the NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, USCAA, and NCCAA basketball landscape.
According to Small College Basketball: "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."
A two time All-CCAA selection, Duffy is averaging 14.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game for the Wildcats, who are off to a 10-1 start and ranked No. 4 in the nation. He's on pace to become the eighth player in program history to eclipse the 1,000-point and 500-rebound milestones.
Duffy displays all of the qualities one would want from a student-athlete. He's a great player and a great person who is making a difference at Chico State on and off the court. After graduating in the Fall of 2021 with his degree in journalism and minor in multicultural and gender studies, Duffy is now pursuing a graduate degree in social sciences. Duffy is the Compliance Office Academic Support Intern. He also produces a monthly newsletter for his fellow student-athletes focusing on the intersection of athletics and equity, diversity, and inclusion. It was an endeavor that began as part of his internship with the Chico State Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
"I am extremely proud of the way Malik has seized every opportunity to get better on and off the court," said Chico State head Coach Greg Clink. "He is a leader, and he's making a positive difference in all that he does."
This marks the sixth year of 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 and Kyle Mangas of Indiana Wesleyan University in 2020.
"Congratulations to every player that is on this list, as this is a very elite list of players," said John McCarthy, founder of Small College Basketball. "Within all of college basketball at the small college levels, there are approximately 14,000 - 16,000 players, and there are only 100 players on this list. Each player on this list is in the midst of a fantastic season, both individually, and as a team. It's important to note that this is a very challenging process, and I am grateful for tremendous input from our committee, and I'm grateful for all of the information that was sent to us from coaches, SID's and others. Once again, congratulations to each player that is on this prestigious list."
On February 15, the list will be reduced to the Top 50 players. One month later on March 15, the Top 25 players will be announced. On April 2, the finalists of this year's award will be announced, followed by the Bevo Francis Award winner being crowned on April 4.
