UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, OH – For the third time in his career, John Carroll graduate student Luke Chicone (Mentor, OH/Mentor) has been recognized among the nation’s top small-college standouts, earning a spot on the 2025-26 Bevo Francis Award Top 100 Watch List. He was a Top 25 finalist in 2024 and a Top 50 selection in 2023.
 
Presented annually by Small College Basketball, the Clarence “Bevo” Francis Award honors the student-athlete who puts together the finest overall season across NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, USCAA, and NCCAA institutions. Chicone is the lone representative from the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) on this year’s list and one of just three student-athletes from the state of Ohio to be selected.
 
A native of Mentor, Ohio, Chicone is enjoying a standout season so far, leading the NCAC in scoring at 23.3 points per game while also pacing the conference in assists (6.4 apg and steals (2.8 spg). The 5-foot-11 guard is shooting 52 percent from the field and 31.4 percent from three-point range while adding 4.5 rebounds per contest. Chicone, who has started all 17 games for the Blue Streaks, has recorded double-digit scoring in 16 games, including 12 performances of 20 or more points.
 
Already one of the most accomplished players in program history, Chicone currently ranks fourth in single-season scoring average at John Carroll, trailing only Hall of Famer George Dalton. He is the program’s career leader in assists per game (5.3) and sits four assists shy of moving into sixth place on JCU’s all-time assists list. Chicone also ranks in the top 10 in school history in career points per game (18.4), career steals (164), and career steals per game (2.1).
 
About the Bevo Francis Award
Named in honor of Clarence “Bevo” Francis, the award is presented annually to the top overall performer in small-college basketball. Selection criteria include season statistics, individual achievements and awards, personal character, and team success. The 2025–26 season marks the 10th year of the award, which is presented to only one student-athlete each year.