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Akuel Kot vs RU RMAC Semifinals - Feb 28, 2023
Jack Hulett, FLC MARCOM
Akuel Kot (22) preparing to make a move on his defender.

Men's Basketball Hayden Mangan, Athletic Communications Assistant

Kot named to Top 25 of Bevo Francis Award watch list

DURANGO, Colo. – Fort Lewis College men's basketball junior guard Akuel Kot has been featured on the last Top 25 watch list for the Bevo Francis Award, an award presented annually to the player who has had the finest overall season within Small College Basketball.
 
The award spans all of NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, United States Collegiate Athletic Association, and National Christian College Athletic Association levels. Considerations for the honor include personal achievements, team achievements, personal character, and season statistics.
 
Fort Lewis has concluded one of the best seasons in program history with a 29-4 overall record, the most wins in a single season in program history. The Skyhawks also set program records with 25 regular season wins and a 10-1 road record while also capturing the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular-season title and RMAC Tournament Championship for just the third time in program history.
 
Kot, a six-foot-two junior from Amarillo, Texas, finished the season as the only Skyhawk averaging more than 30 minutes per game at 32.9. Starting all 33 games and averaging 23.4 points per game, Kot finished fourth in all of Division II scoring and tied for 10th across all NCAA Divisions (I, II, III).
 
As postseason awards continue to roll in, Kot has already garnered a plethora of conference and regional accolades including First Team All South-Central Region, South-Central Regional All-Tournament Team, First Team All-RMAC, RMAC All-Tournament Team, RMAC Tournament Most Valuable Player, and four RMAC Offensive Player of the Week awards.
 
Kot burst into the spotlight early this season, setting the program's single-game scoring record with 45 points against the University of Texas Permian Basin in just the fourth game of the year, breaking his own personal best of 42 points set last season against Colorado State University-Pueblo. Scoring no less than 11 points in a single game this season, Kot shattered the program's single-season scoring record with 801 points, surpassing Joshua Blaylock's (2016-17) and Alex Herrera's (2014-15) previous record of 687 points: a 114-point differential.
 
Ranking second in Division II with 226 made free throws, Kot broke the program's single-season made free throw record. Additionally, Kot ranks third in Division II for free throw attempts with 267, a mark that also sits third in the program's single-season history.
 
Kot finished the season with a 51.7% shooting output from the field, 39.3% output from beyond the arc, and an 84.6% average at the free throw line. Now with 1,712 total points, Kot ranks fifth in all-time scoring at Fort Lewis College and trails Riley Farris' (2016-21) career mark of 2,073 by just 361 points.
 
Small College Basketball will name the Bevo Francis Award finalists on Saturday, Apr. 1, followed by the award winner on Monday, Apr. 3.
 
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Players Mentioned

Riley Farris

#42 Riley Farris

F
6' 9"
Redshirt Senior
Akuel Kot

#22 Akuel Kot

G
6' 2"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Riley Farris

#42 Riley Farris

6' 9"
Redshirt Senior
F
Akuel Kot

#22 Akuel Kot

6' 2"
Junior
G