Tennessee basketball senior Yves Pons has been named a finalist for the Lefty Driesell Defensive Player of the Year Award.
The Lefty Driesell Award, given annually to the top defensive player in Division I basketball, is named in honor of the legendary former college head coach.
By earning finalist status, Pons also becomes a member of this year’s Lefty Driesell Defensive All-America Team. He is one of three SEC players to be named to the 30-man team, joined by Alabama’s Herb Jones and Missouri’s Dru Smith.
A Fuveau, France, native, Pons has the innate ability to effectively guard all five positions on the floor and makes the Vols virtually matchup-proof while he’s on the court.
A back-to-back SEC All-Defensive Team selection, Pons has blocked 36 shots as a senior, finishing the regular season fifth in the SEC with 1.6 blocks per game.
Pons currently sits in 11th place on UT’s all-time blocks list with 126 career rejections and has tallied 109 blocks in his last 54 games (2.0 per game) dating to the start of last season.
He has also recorded a career-best 16 steals this season while also ranking second on the team with nine charges drawn.
Leading into the 2021 SEC Tournament, Pons has been a beast on the boards, pulling in 7.4 rebounds per game in his last five outings (37 total) and grabbing eight or more in four of those contests.
The recipient of the 2021 Lefty Driesell Defensive Player of the Year Award will be announced on April 1.
Pons also is one of 10 national finalists for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award, also presented in April.
-UT Athletics
