Vols add two players on first day of spring signing period
Tennessee announced Wednesday that Derrick Walker and Yves Pons have signed a National Letter of Intent, the first day of the spring signing period in college basketball.
The 6-foot-8, 250-pound Walker plans to enroll at UT this summer.
“Derrick is going to blend nicely into our team due to his combination of size, strength and toughness,” UT coach Rick Barnes said in a school statement. “We’re also excited about his basketball IQ and the fact that he’s a vocal defender, a good rebounder and an excellent ball-handler and passer for a player of his size.
“So there are a lot of signs that point to him being able to help us immediately. His next challenge is to get himself into great shape so that he can make the kind of impact we believe he’s capable of.”
The 6-6, 210-pound Pons is from Fuveau, France, and attends the INSEP (National Institute of Sport and Physical Education) Academy in Paris. He was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Pons, 17, won’t enroll at UT until mid-August. He plans to play for France in the 2017 FIBA U18 European Championships in the Slovak Republic from July 29 through Aug. 6.
“We’re very excited about the addition of Yves because he fits the culture and mentality of our program as a person, student and athlete,” Barnes said. “We’re all very thankful for the trust that he and his wonderful family back in France have placed in us. They’re wonderful people who have provided Yves with a strong foundation of character, accountability and work ethic.
“Yves will bring elite athleticism, explosiveness and versatility to our program - both on the perimeter and inside. He’s a long, athletic wing who can defend multiple positions, play fast and finish in transition, along with rebound on both ends. The SEC is one of the most physical and athletic leagues in the country, and those are two areas Yves and our team have a chance to excel in.”
Tennessee signed 6-10 center Zach Kent, a three-star prospect from Delaware, during the fall signing period.
Walker is a four-star prospect according to the industry-generated 247Sports composite rankings and the No. 3 overall prospect in Missouri. He’s the No. 65 power forward nationally and the 258th best prospect in the country.
Walker was a member of the 2016 class at one point but decided in the summer of 2016 to re-classify back to the 2017 class and spend a post-graduate year at Sunrise Christian in Bel Aire, Kan. He averaged 14 points and seven rebounds per game.
Sunrise Christian also has produced former NCAA stars Buddy Hield (Oklahoma) and Sebastian Saiz (Ole Miss).
Walker played his AAU ball for MoKan Elite on the Nike EYBL circuit during the summer of 2016, helping that squad win the prestigious Nike Peach Jam championship in July.
He attended Raytown Senior High School in Raytown, Mo., from his freshman through junior years.
Walker will immediately become Tennessee’s heaviest player on roster, 17 pounds clear of forward Admiral Schofield. He’s the third tallest, too, behind only 6-10 centers Kyle Alexander and Kent.
Pons is a four-star prospect according to 247Sports composite rankings, and is rated as the No. 112 overall player in the class of 2017, the No. 22 small forward and the top French prospect in his class.
Pons to date is the highest rated player Barnes has brought to Tennessee in his first two full recruiting cycles.
Scouts have projected the explosively athletic Pons as either a small forward or power forward in the NBA, but he’ll play wing at Tennessee as he develops his offensive game.