Men's Basketball | 1/15/2026 1:53:00 PM
Bevo Francis Award Website
La Crosse, Wis. – University of Wisconsin-La Crosse junior guard
Sam Grieger of
Randolph (H.S.) has been named to the Bevo Francis Award Watch List of 100 players.
The Bevo Francis Award is presented annually by Small College Basketball to the player who had the finest overall season within small college basketball. Considerations are made for season statistics, individual achievements, awards, personal character and team achievements. All men's basketball players at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III and Division II, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division I and Division II, United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Division I and Division II, and National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Division I and Division II are eligible for the award.
Sam Grieger leads the WIAC and ranks fifth in NCAA Division III
in scoring (25.3) this season.
The Bevo Francis Award will cut the list of candidates to top 50 on Sunday, February 15 and the top 25 on Wednesday, March 15. The four finalists will be announced Saturday, April 4 with the award winner selected on Monday, April 6.
Grieger leads the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) and ranks fifth in NCAA Division III in scoring at 25.3 points per game. He also ranks second in the conference in assists per game (3.6) and assist/turnover ratio (2.7) while ranking eighth in free throw shooting (79.6%) and ninth in field goal shooting (53.3%). Grieger has been named the WIAC Athlete of the Week four times this season.
He has earned three tournament Most Valuable Player awards this season. Grieger averaged 31.5 points, 3.0 assists and 2.5 rebounds in helping lead UWL to the title at the TowneBank Tipoff Tournament at Virginia Wesleyan University. He finished with 36 points, including the game-winning tip-in, in the Eagles' victory over then 17th-ranked Hampden-Sydney College (Va.) on November 7. Grieger had 27 points and four assists in the tournament championship game versus then 14th-ranked Virginia Wesleyan on November 8.
Grieger was named the MVP of the Wheaton College (Ill.) Lee Pfund Classic, averaging 22.5 points, 6.0 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in two games as UWL earned the tournament title. He had 15 points, six rebounds and six steals in a victory over Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Ind.) on November 21 and finished with 30 points, six assists and three rebounds in a win over Wheaton (Ill.) in the championship game on November 22.
Earning his third MVP of the season at the Nicolet National Bank Holiday Tournament at St. Norbert College (Wis.), Grieger averaged 19.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals with UWL winning the crown. He finished with 17 points, five steals, four rebounds and three assists in a victory over North Central University (Minn.) on December 29, followed by 22 points, four rebounds and four assists in a win over St. Norbert (Wis.) on December 30.
Grieger has scored in double figures in all 15 starts this season with a school record 46 points at UW-Oshkosh on January 7, breaking
Eric Dudek's record of 43 points versus UW-Whitewater on February 22, 1995.
Grieger surpassed 1,000 career points at UW-Oshkosh, becoming the 19th player in school history to reach the milestone. He ranks 15th in career scoring (1,085 points).
Named to the 2025-26 D3hoops.com Preseason All-America Second Team, Grieger was a 2024-25 D3hoops.com All-Region 9 Second Team. He was also selected to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District 9 First Team.
A 2024-25 All-WIAC First Team selection, Grieger started all 31 games last season while leading UWL in scoring (15.9) and assists (2.7) while ranking second in rebounding (5.4), steals (1.2) and blocks (0.9). He scored in double figures in 26 games.
UWL, ranked 18th on D3hoops.com, is 11-4 overall and 1-3 in the WIAC. UWL travels to UW-Eau Claire on Saturday, January 17 at 5 p.m.
