KNOXVILLE — After the 2019-20 college basketball season was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic, University of Tennessee basketball player Yves Pons decided to test the waters in declaring early for the NBA draft.
After testing the waters, Pons has now decided to return to Rocky Top and continue his collegiate career with the Volunteers. The upcoming campaign will conclude his amateur career.
Pons, who hails from France, was a defensive force for the Big Orange and was named Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year after averaging a league-leading 2.1 blocked shots per game.
He was the first Vol ever to achieve that honor and was the third UT player ever to be named to the SEC’s All-Defensive Team.
Pons, who plays both small forward and shooting guard for the Vols, appeared in all 31 of Tennessee’s games last season and had a blocked shot in each contest. He also averaged 10.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game last season.
The Vols were 17-14 when the season prematurely ended.