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Vols forward Yves Pons has made tremendous progress since last season

AP file photo by Mark Humphrey / Tennessee forward Yves Pons has made one of the biggest leaps for the Vols early this season and perhaps in the country, with his improved skills on offense helping them start 3-0.
AP file photo by Mark Humphrey / Tennessee forward Yves Pons has made one of the biggest leaps for the Vols early this season and perhaps in the country, with his improved skills on offense helping them start 3-0. AP file photo by Mark Humphrey / Tennessee forward Yves Pons has made one of the biggest leaps for the Vols early this season and perhaps in the country, with his improved skills on offense helping them start 3-0.

By Gene Henley 4 min read

KNOXVILLE – Yves Pons put in the work.

Now he’s getting the results.

Perhaps no college basketball player in the country has taken the strides on the offensive end of the court shown by Tennessee’s 6-foot-6, 215-pound forward, who has averaged 16.3 points on 68% shooting from the field for the 20th-ranked Volunteers (3-0), who host Alabama State (0-3) at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Already an athletic specimen, Pons has always shot a respectable percentage while at Tennessee, if for no other reason than a vast majority of his attempts were dunks. But as his confidence level has soared, his range has expanded.

In the Vols’ opener against UNC Asheville, it was a turnaround jumper over a defender that demonstrated his progress. He made a trio of 3-pointers against Murray State and attempted a career-high 13 shots against Washington last Saturday in Toronto. He made seven of those shots, with most coming in the paint as he and other Tennessee players consistently found a weak spot in the middle of the Huskies’ zone defense.