Tennessee basketball senior and reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year Yves Pons has been named to the midseason top-10 list for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award, presented annually to the nation’s best small forward.
VFL Admiral Schofield (2015-19) was a top-five finalist for the Julius Erving Award in 2019.
The award is named after Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Julius Erving, who was known for his ability to score and rebound at a high rate, being one of only six NCAA men’s basketball players to average more than 20 points and 20 rebounds per game. During his professional career, Erving won three championships, four MVP awards and three scoring titles. He was also a member of the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.
The candidate list was trimmed to 10 by a national committee of college basketball personnel. Pons is the lone remaining candidate from the SEC.
This season, Pons has continued to make a strong case for National Defensive Player of the Year honors.
The Tennessee coaching staff has described Pons as making the Vols virtually “matchup proof” when he’s on the floor due to his ability to effectively guard all five positions. Through 14 games, Pons ranks fourth in the SEC in blocks, rejecting 1.9 shots per game. In SEC play, the Fuveau, France, native ranks third in the league with 2.5 blocks per game (20 blocks in eight games).
He also ranks 13th on Tennessee’s all-time blocks list with 117 for his career. He has 100 blocks in his last 45 appearances (2.2 per game) dating to the start of last season.
Offensively this season, Pons is averaging 9.5 points in SEC play and recently poured in a season-high 20 points against Missouri on Jan. 23.
The Erving Award finalists list will be trimmed to five and presented to Erving and the Hall of Fame selection committee in February, and the winner of the 2021 Julius Erving Award will be announced on April 9.
2021 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Candidates
Derrick Alston Jr., Boise State
Corey Kispert, Gonzaga
Isaiah Livers, Michigan
Aaron Henry. Michigan State
Ron Harper Jr., Rutgers
Matt Mitchell, San Diego State
Ziaire Williams, Stanford
Yves Pons, Tennessee
Terrence Shannon Jr., Texas Tech
Sam Hauser, Virginia
-UT Athletics
