Tag: yves pons

Tracking top NCAA prospects who could still declare for 2020 NBA Draft

NCAA prospects have until April 26 to declare early entry for 2020 NBA Draft. There are several notable prospects who could join this class.

NCAA prospects have until next week to declare early entry for 2020 NBA Draft. There are several notable prospects who could join this class.

Two freshmen (Precious Achiuwa and Jahmi’us Ramsey) are widely projected as first-round prospects. Meanwhile, three sophomores (Isaiah Joe, Aaron Henry and Joel Ayayi) typically appear on mock drafts.

Others who are likely Top-100 prospects: Romeo Weems, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Filip Petrusev, Joe Wieskamp, Corey Kispert, Terrence Shannon Omer Yurtseven, Yves Pons, AJ Lawson, Charles Bassey, Anton Watson and Miles McBride.

Below is a list reviewing all of the key players in college basketball who have yet to make a public decision about their NBA futures, even if it is simply just to test the waters so long as they already applied to receive feedback from the Undergraduate Advisory Committee before April 16.

FRESHMEN

Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports

Precious Achiuwa, Memphis (Big)

Jahmi’us Ramsey, Texas Tech (Guard)

Romeo Weems, DePaul (Forward)

Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana (Big)

Terrence Shannon, Texas Tech (Wing)

Anton Watson, Gonzaga (Forward)

N’Faly Dante, Oregon (Big)

DJ Jeffries, Memphis (Forward)

Lester Quinones, Memphis (Forward)

Spencer Jones, Stanford (Big)

Nah’shon Hyland, VCU (Guard)

James Bouknight, UCONN (Guard)

SOPHOMORES

Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports

Isaiah Joe, Arkansas (Guard)

Aaron Henry, Michigan (Wing)

Joel Ayayi, Gonzaga (Guard)

Filip Petrusev, Gonzaga (Big)

Joe Wieskamp, Iowa (Wing)

AJ Lawson, South Carolina (Guard)

Charles Bassey, Western Kentucky (Big)

Emmitt Williams, LSU (Forward)

Isaac Likekele, Oklahoma State (Guard)

Marcus Zegarowski, Creighton (Guard)

Will Richardson, Oregon (Guard)

Kessler Edwards, Pepperdine (Forward)

Quentin Grimes, Houston (Guard)

Aaron Wiggins, Maryland (Guard)

Xavier Johnson, Pittsburgh (Guard)

Davion Mitchell, Baylor (Guard)

Marcus Bingham, Michigan State (Big)

JUNIORS

James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Corey Kispert, Gonzaga (Wing)

Omer Yurtseven, Georgetown (Big)

Yves Pons, Tennessee (Wing)

Colbey Ross, Pepperdine (Guard)

Oscar da Silva, Stanford (Forward)

Nahziah Carter, Washington Wing)

Dru Smith, Missouri (Guard)

Matt Mitchell, San Diego State (Forward)

Mark Vital, Baylor (Forward)

[lawrence-related id=14715]

Yves Pons, John Fulkerson receive SEC men’s basketball coaches’ postseason awards

2019-20 SEC men’s basketball coaches’ postseason awards.

BIRMINGHAM — The Southeastern Conference has announced its men’s basketball coaches’ postseason awards for the 2019-20 season.

Tennessee junior Yves Pons has been named SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Pons becomes the first UT player in program history to be awarded the honor. He has also been named to the SEC All-Defensive Team.

UT junior John Fulkerson has been named to the SEC second-team.

First Team All-SEC

Kira Lewis Jr., Alabama

Mason Jones, Arkansas

Samir Doughty, Auburn

Keyontae Johnson, Florida

Immanuel Quickley, Kentucky

Nick Richards, Kentucky

Skylar Mays, LSU

Breein Tyree, Ole Miss

Reggie Perry, Mississippi State

Second Team All-SEC

John Petty Jr., Alabama

Isaac Okoro, Auburn

Kerry Blackshear Jr., Florida

Anthony Edwards, Georgia

Tyrese Maxey, Kentucky

Maik Kotsar, South Carolina

John Fulkerson, Tennessee

Saben Lee, Vanderbilt

All-Freshman Team

Jaden Shackelford, Alabama

Isaac Okoro, Auburn

Scottie Lewis, Florida

Anthony Edwards, Georgia

Tyrese Maxey, Kentucky

Trendon Watford, LSU

Jermaine Couisnard, South Carolina

Scotty Pippen Jr., Vanderbilt

All-Defensive Team

Herbert Jones, Alabama

Isaac Okoro, Auburn

Ashton Hagans, Kentucky

Nick Richards, Kentucky

Yves Pons, Tennessee

Coach of the Year: John Calipari, Kentucky

Player of the Year: Immanuel Quickley, Kentucky

Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Skylar Mays, LSU

Freshman of the Year: Anthony Edwards, Georgia

Sixth-Man of the Year: Tyson Carter, Mississippi State

Defensive Player of the Year: Yves Pons, Tennessee

Tennessee hangs on against Gamecocks, 56-55

Tennessee defeats South Carolina.

KNOXVILLE — Jordan Bowden has had his offensive struggles lately, but he and John Fulkerson made some late big plays to help Tennessee’s men’s basketball team to a 56-55 Southeastern Conference victory over South Carolina Saturday afternoon at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Bowden made a crucial save off an errant in-bounds pass from Drew Pember and grabbed the ball just before it went out of bounds allowing time to expire.

Prior to Bowden’s big play that saved the ball and the win for Tennessee (10-5 overall, 2-1 in the SEC), Fulkerson took a late charge to give the Volunteers the opportunity to run out the clock and capture its first home conference win of the season.

In addition to standing his ground late, Fulkerson had a double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds (including eight defensive boards). He also had one of Tennessee’s season-high 11 blocked shots.

Defense was key for the Vols as they would win ugly in a game where UT went 15-for-54 from the field. They were also 6-for-31 from beyond the 3-point arc.

But Pember and Josiah-Jordan James had consecutive long-range jumpers to give the Big Orange a 51-44 lead with 7 minutes, 20 seconds left in the game.

Tennessee never trailed after that.

Santiago Vescovi scored 13 points and James added 10 for the Vols, who trailed 26-25 at halftime and endured multiple long scoring droughts.

The Gamecocks (8-7, 0-2 SEC) got 17 points from Maik Kotsar and 15 from Jermaine Couisnard.

Yves Pons blocked five shots for Tennessee, which travels to Georgia Wednesday night.

 

Three Tennessee players Badger fans need to know

Wisconsin faces Tennessee in Knoxville on Saturday afternoon. Badger fans should be sure to know these three opposing players.

After picking up a much-needed victory over Milwaukee at home last weekend, Wisconsin (6-5) hits the road to Knoxville to take on Tennessee (8-3) on Saturday afternoon.

The Badgers and Volunteers have split the four previous contests in this series, with Wisconsin winning a 74-62 decision at the 2016 Maui Invitational in the last meeting.

Wisconsin has lost four of its last six leading into Saturday’s matchup, though it was able to take care of business in a 83-64 victory over Milwaukee the last time out. Tennessee has fallen on some hard times as well as of late, dropping two of its last three. The Volunteers lost to No. 12 Memphis and Cincinnati before breaking their losing streak in a 75-53 win over Jacksonville State last Saturday.

Though I would expect this to be a close contest, Tennessee is certainly the favorite to come out on top in the end; we all know how awful the Badgers have played on the road this season, and though the Volunteers did lose one of their top players recently with Lamonte Turner’s decision to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery, head coach Rick Barnes still has a pretty strong rotation.

Here are the three players on the other side who Badger fans should keep a close eye on throughout Saturday afternoon’s contest.

Jordan Bowden – Guard

2019 stats: 13.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.0 spg, 40.8 FG%, 37.3 3P%

Bowden has taken a big leap this season after serving as the fourth or fifth option on Tennessee’s loaded roster last year.

An excellent shooter, the 6-5 senior from Knoxville has become the team’s leading scorer this season. However, with Turner – who was their No. 2 scorer and one of the top facilitators in the nation at 7.1 assists per game – now sidelined, the Volunteers will need Bowden to step up and shoulder an even greater share of the offensive load.

Bowden has scored at least 11 points in all but two of Tennessee’s games this year and is coming off of his second-highest scoring total of the season (19 points) in its win last Saturday against Jacksonville State.

Yves Pons – Guard

2019 stats: 11.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.5 bpg, 51.6 FG%, 33.3 3P%

Dec 14, 2019; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Yves Pons (35) moves the ball against Memphis Tigers forward Precious Achiuwa (55) during the first half at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

As with Bowden, Pons has assumed a far greater role for the Volunteers this season compared to last.

One of the freakier athletes in college basketball, the 6-6 junior from France has always had major potential, and he now appears to be putting it all together. Pons’ minutes have skyrocketed from 11.7 to 32.6 minutes per game this season, and he has poured in at least 10 points in eight of 11 games while averaging over nine points more than he did in 2018-19.

Pons is also second on the team in rebounding and third in the SEC in blocks per game. He rejected a school-record six shots in Tennessee’s last game.

Josiah-Jordan James – Guard

2019 stats: 7.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.5 apg, 37.8 FG%, 26.7 3P%

James was one of the nation’s top high school recruits in the class of 2019, earning five-star status and the No. 22 spot in the 247Sports composite national rankings and making a trip to the McDonald’s All-American Game. Unsurprisingly, the 6-6- combo guard from Charleston, S.C. has been an instant-impact addition for Tennessee this season.

He’s struggled a bit to knock down shots, but he’s still making an impact in the scoring column, and his production should increase moving forward with Turner out of the lineup. James is also second on the team in assists, and his rebounding average is the highest of any Volunteer and all SEC freshmen.

While he hasn’t put up the kind of numbers we often see from highly-touted freshman, there’s no question James has still established himself as one of Tennessee’s top players. He may not be a sure-fire “one and done” player destined for the first round in this year’s NBA draft as things stand today, but he still looks to have a bright future at the next level ahead of him and will undoubtedly be the top pro prospect on the floor in this matchup.

Vols men’s basketball falter vs FSU

NICEVILLE – The Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball team’s season-opening winning streak has finally come to an end, losing a tough game in the final minutes on the road to the Florida State Seminoles, 60-57, in the Emerald Coast Classic. The Vols …

NICEVILLE — The Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball team’s season-opening winning streak has finally come to an end, losing a tough game in the final minutes on the road to the Florida State Seminoles, 60-57, in the Emerald Coast Classic.

The Vols were led by Lamonte Turner, who scored 20 points, but only shot 4-14 from the field and did most of his damage at the charity stripe, going 11-14; he also gave away 8 turnovers. Yves Pons brought the double-double trouble scoring 13 points, grabbing 10 boards and swatting three shots, representing the Vols’ best performance on the evening. Jordan Bowden was the only other UT player to reach double digit points, adding 11 of his own to go along with five rebounds.

Despite the close finish, Tennessee never led in this game. It was a furious comeback in the last two minutes that produced the final margin of defeat, with the Vols falling short in the end. Their largest deficit of 13 came at 10:42 in the second half, and the Volunteers just were not able to dig themselves out of that hole. FSU made three of four free throw attempts in the final seconds to seal the loss despite a last-second trey by Turner.

Overall, the Vols only shot 33 percent from the field and a putrid 23 percent from behind the arc. Their 89 percent mark from the free throw line on 29 attempts is very encouraging, as was their team total of seven blocks, but it is hard to win games against quality opponents when you cough up the ball 21 times.

The match was the first between the two teams in three decades, with the all-time record in the series now standing at 5-4 in favor of Tennessee. The loss ended a five-game winning streak to open the year for the Vols, though there remain plenty more games to be played.

The Volunteers next face either Purdue or VCU on Saturday at 4 or 7 p.m. ET, depending on game results, and will be broadcasted on the CBS Sports Network.

Tennessee rolls past Alabama State

Tennessee rolls past Alabama State.

KNOXVILLE — The Tennessee men’s basketball team extended their Division I-leading home winning streak to 29 games after defeating the Alabama State Hornets on Wednesday night, 76-41.

The Hornets jumped out to a three point lead on the opening possession, but the Vols answered back and tied the score just one minute into the game; UT took the lead on their next possession and held it for the rest of the game. Their largest lead of 37 came at the 1:01 mark of the second half after a late-game surge, and Alabama State managed to sink a couple of free throws in the final minute to clinch the ending score.

Tennessee was led by Jordan Bowden, who notched 16 points to pace the Vols, while adding a couple of rebounds and an assist. Three other starters also posted double-digit points, with Lamonte Turner adding 13 of his own along with six dimes, Yves Pons adding 11 with five rebounds, and John Fulkerson scoring 10 points with three rebounds in support. Guard Josiah-Jordan James pulled down 13 boards and dished out five assists.

The Vols hit 46 percent of their shots from the field, though that includes a sub-par 29 percent mark from beyond the arc. They only shot 64 percent from the charity stripe on 25 attempts, which could stand for some improvement. Tennessee’s 12 turnovers to ASU’s 19 is a respectable margin, and the team total of eight blocks is encouraging.

The Vols’ next game is on November 25 against the Chattanooga Mocs at Thompson-Boling Arena. Tip-off is schedule for 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcasted on SEC Network+.

Vols rally for win against Racers

Vols rally for win against Racers.

KNOXVILLE — The Murray State Racers came into Knoxville to play, and it took a second half rally for the Tennessee Volunteers to emerge with a 82-63 victory.

The win extends the nation’s longest current home winning streak to 28 games in a row at Thompson–Boling Arena.

Murray State kept the Vols in check for a good portion of the game, taking their first lead at the 16:05 mark of the first frame and holding it until midway through the second half. After a bit of back-and-forth, the lead was finally relinquished and Tennessee rode the rest of the way to victory. They held the Racers scoreless for the final seven-and-a-half minutes to seal the deal.

The Volunteers were led by Jordan Bowden’s 26 points, along with a couple of rebounds and an assist. Yves Pons was the only other player in double figures for the Vols, adding 19 points along with four rebounds and just as many blocked shots. Lamonte Turner dished out 14 assists in the winning effort.

Tennessee shot 50 percent from the floor, including an eye-popping 55 percent from behind the arc. They only coughed up the ball eight times, compared to 12 for Murray State. Their 68 percent mark from the charity stripe still leaves something to be desired, but a win is a win.

The Volunteers next face the No. 20-ranked Washington Huskies on Saturday, November 16, in Toronto, Ont. for the James Naismith Classic. Gametime is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET.