St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball player Justin Reyes has been named as one of the final 50 players on the "Watch List" for the Clarence "Bevo" Francis Award. Reyes, who recently became the all-time leader in both career scoring and rebounding in East Coast Conference history, has led the Spartans to a 22-6 overall record, in search of their third straight ECC Tournament Championship as well as their third consecutive NCAA Tournament bid. STAC has advanced to the ECC finals in each of his three previous seasons.

Presented annually to the player who has had the finest overall season within Small College Basketball, the Francis award considers season statistics and individual achievements, awards, personal character and team achievements. Only one player per season is the ultimate winner of this prestigious honor, and one year ago the senior from Haverhill, Massachusetts was one of the 10 national finalists.

This season's initial list of 100 players was announced in January, with the list trimmed to 50 with this week's release. That group will be further narrowed to a top-25 on March 15; the ten finalists will be released on March 31 and the national award winner will be announced on April 2.

A two-time ECC Player-of-the-Year, All-Met Player-of-the-Year, and All-American selection among many accolades, Justin is currently #3 all time in career points at St. Thomas Aquinas, with the all-time mark well within reach. The Spartans have two regular-season games remaining - Saturday, February 17 at LIU Post and Saturday, February 24 vs the University of the District of Columbia, in what will be Reyes' final regular-season home game at Aquinas Hall. The Spartans have already qualified for an ECC Tournament bid, with that tourney starting on February 28. STAC is also ranked #3 in the NCAA Division II East Region, looking to defend last season's regional championship.