CALIFORNIA (Feb. 15) – For his continued standout play this season, California (PA) sophomore guard KJ McClurg advanced to the Bevo Francis Award Top 50 Watch List on Thursday afternoon.

The Bevo Francis Award is presented annually to the player who had the finest overall season within Small College Basketball, which is comprised of NCAA Division II and III, NAIA, USCAA and NCCAA. The initial Watch List was released last month and featured 100 players with the Watch List being narrowed down to 50 this month and 25 in March before the finalists are announced in April.

McClurg continues to lead the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and ranks sixth in NCAA Division II in scoring at 23.2 points per game this season. He sits third in the country with both 170 free-throws made and 202 free-throw attempts for an .842 free-throw percentage. McClurg also paces the league with 165 field-goals made while his .536 field-goal percentage is eighth-best in the conference. The second-year starter has converted 43.9 percent (58-of-132) from beyond the arc and his 58 three-pointers made are the fourth-most in the PSAC.

A 6-foot-3 guard, McClurg is tied for the team lead with 6.1 rebounds per game. He also sits fourth on the team with 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game while playing 37.5 minutes per game – seventh-most in the nation.

McClurg already ranks No. 13 in single-season school history with 557 points and his scoring average currently is the program's highest in over three decades (Ray Gutierrez; 1992-93). He also recently eclipsed 1,000 collegiate points, as he has totaled 973 points in two years at Cal and 61 points at New Hampshire during the 2020-21 campaign. McClurg has scored at least 20 points 15 times this season with six 30-point games.

A native of West Virginia, McClurg has helped the Vulcans achieve their first national ranking in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Top 25 Coaches' Poll in more than 15 years. Cal has been featured in the poll for nine-straight weeks while achieving its second 20-win season in the last three years after the feat hadn't been accomplished since the 2007-08 campaign. The Vulcans have four games remaining in the regular season and have already clinched a berth in the PSAC Tournament, plus are just one-game back of first place in the divisional standings.

McClurg remains one of three PSAC standouts (Josh Omojafo/Gannon; Ethan Porterfield/IUP) on the Bevo Francis Award Watch List. McClurg is now one of seven sophomores highlighted on the Top 50 Watch List, which features 18 players from NCAA Division II programs.

Bevo Francis was a prolific scorer at Rio Grande (Ohio) in the 1952-53 and 1953-54 seasons. He is credited with the three-highest single-game scoring performances in NCAA Division II history, including the all-time record of 113 points in 1954. Francis also scored 72 points against Cal in 1953.

The Vulcans are idle before returning to action on Wednesday, Feb. 21, when they travel to face Pitt-Johnstown at 7:30 p.m.