Texas A&M was known for its tenacious defense, and the lynchpin was Dominican Dennis Rodman, professionally known as senior Aggie forward Andersson Garcia. His play throughout the season landed him a finalist for the 2024 Lefty Driesell Defensive Player of the Year.
Garcia had a record year in the Maroon & White, breaking two over four decades old records. He surpassed Claude Riley’s offensive and total rebounding number by ten with 327; then, he passed Aggie legend John Beasley’s conference rebound record with 180. He capped off the season by making the All-SEC defensive team.
The recipient of the annual award is determined by a 10-member voting committee, which consists of current and former head coaches and two senior staff members of collegeinsider.com. The 2024 award will be announced in Phoenix, AZ, the men’s Division I Basketball Championship site.
One of D1's Best Defenders 🇩🇴🎺📸@mamba___11 x #GigEm
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) March 28, 2024
Below is the entire list of finalist below
2024 LEFTY DRIESELL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
| Justin Abson | 6-9 | Appalachian State |
| Adrian “Ace” Baldwin Jr. | 6-1 | Penn State |
| Reece Beekman | 6-3 | Virginia |
| Adem Bona | 6-10 | UCLA |
| Boo Buie | 6-2 | Northwestern |
| Johni Broome | 6-10 | Auburn |
| Devin Carter | 6-3 | Providence |
| Isaiah Cozart | 6-7 | Eastern Kentucky |
| Isaiah Crawford | 6-6 | Louisiana Tech |
| Ryan Dunn | 6-8 | Virginia |
| Zach Edey | 7-4 | Purdue |
| KiAndre Gaddy | 6-6 | Tarleton State |
| Andersson Garcia | 6-7 | Texas A&M |
| Dajuan Harris Jr. | 6-2 | Kansas |
| DaRon Holmes II | 6-10 | Dayton |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner | 7-1 | Creighton |
| Malevy Leons | 6-9 | Bradley |
| Tamin Lipsey | 6-1 | Iowa State |
| Bez Mbeng | 6-4 | Yale |
| Clifford Omoruyi | 6-11 | Rutgers |
| Jamal Shead | 6-1 | Houston |
| Charles Thompson | 6-7 | Towson |
| Kellen Tynes, Jr. | 6-3 | Maine |
| Amari Williams | 6-10 | Drexel |
| Zakai Zeigler | 5-9 | Tennessee |
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