KNOXVILLE — University of Tennessee basketball player Yves Pons is a preseason candidate for college basketball’s Julius Erving Award.
A list of 20 candidates for the honor was released on Wednesday.
Fan voting for the award, which goes to the best small forward in college basketball and is named for Naismith Hall of Famer Julius “Dr. J.” Erving, begins tomorrow.
The list will be trimmed to 10 players in late January and is named for Erving, who scored and rebounded at a high rate, averaging 20 points and 20 rebounds per game.
Pons is the reigning Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He established himself as both a dominant post presence both offensively and defensively.
Other candidates include: Derrick Alston Jr. (Boise State); Jalen Johnson (Duke); Wendell Moore (Duke); Keyontae Johnson (Florida); Corey Kispert (Gonzaga); Brandon Boston Jr. (Kentucky); D.J. Jeffries (Memphis); Aaron Wiggins (Maryland); Franz Wagner (Michigan); Aaron Henry (Michigan State); Ron Harper Jr. (Rutgers); Matt Mitchell (San Diego State); Ziaire Williams (Stanford); Terrence Shannon Jr. (Texas Tech); Chris Smith (UCLA); Timmy Allen (Utah); Jermaine Samuels (Villanova) and Sam Hauser (Virginia).
Former UT standout and current Washington Wizards player Admiral Schofield was a finalist for the award in 2019.