Ben: Yves Pons Makes the All-SEC Defensive Team
Tennessee’s basketball team is known as a bunch of gym-rats, but nobody outworks Yves Pons. The France native struggled with a language barrier during his freshman season. He didn’t put his head down, though, and he got in the gym during the offseason. As Barnes has said before, nobody is in the gym more than Pons.
The true sophomore is going to be Tennessee’s best defensive player this season. His length and athleticism are going to be a problem for opponents. What makes Pons even more of a problem to deal with defensively is his mindset. He has said on multiple occasions that he’s focused on being the best defensive player on the court and shutting down the other team’s best player.
Pons exhibited some of that against Tusculum last Thursday. He grabbed three rebounds, but also locked up the Pioneer he was guarding on multiple occasions. On one play, he tracked down a Tusculum player from behind and swatted the ball into the crowd. He even grazed his head on the backboard as he blocked it.
By the end of the season, Pons will not only prove to be Tennessee’s best defensive player, but one of the best in the SEC.
