Just In: Tennessee basketball senior Yves Pons appears to have made his decision
Yves Pons’ time at Tennessee is officially done.
The senior announced the news on Friday, releasing a graphic with a thank you note to Tennessee.
Granted, the note does not say anything about the 2021 NBA Draft, but one would assume that’s where Pons is headed.
And he doesn’t have to go the NBA route, either, although Pons’ stature and defensive prowess certainly make him a phenomenal prospect. But, as a married man and a native of Fuveau, France, Pons could also fare well in virtually any league overseas.
In his Tennessee career, Pons was phenomenal.
He earned SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2020 and was named to the 2021 Lefty Driesell Defensive All-American team.
He started 70 total games on Rocky Top, with 116 nights of action in total.
Pons was also one of 10 finalists for the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year Award during his senior season, and he finished eighth on Tennessee’s all-time career blocks list with 137.
Those blocks will be what Pons is remembered for most, but he also established himself as an excellent inside presence, and he could even get hot from long range.
More accolades can be seen below, courtesy of UTSports.com.
Below that, you can also find a few of Pons’ jaw-dropping blocks, which he used to intimidate opponents while simultaneously etching his name into the Tennessee record books.
- 2021 SEC Tournament All-Tournament Team
- 2021 SEC All-Defensive Team
- 2020 SEC All-Defensive Team
- 2018 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll
Overall, Pons has left an unbelievable (and versatile) legacy in four years at Tennessee.
From playing the saxophone to showing off his photography skills, to nailing threes and swatting basketballs off the face of the Earth — No. 35 will be remembered well.
Now, the only question left is whether Pons’ senior partner-in-crime, John Fulkerson, will follow suit.
