Chattanooga Mocs sophomore big man Justin Tuoyo is a finalist for the 2015 Lefty Driesell National Defensive Player of the Year award. He is one of 26 vying for the honor.
Tuoyo, the 2015 Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year, blocked a school-record 104 shots in his first season at Chattanooga after transferring from VCU. He ended up just two shy of the league record of 106 set by UNCG’s Kyle Hines in 2004-05.
“Justin had a strong first season,” coach Will Wade stated. “He was a dominant presence in the paint all year and brought tremendous energy and enthusiasm. His future is bright if he works hard and continues to refine his game. He is certainly worthy of this honor.”
Justin tied the SoCon record for blocks in a league game with nine in the home win over Western Carolina on January 8. His performance sparked the Mocs to tying the team record of 15 as well. He had multiple block efforts in 29 of 32 games with three or more 21 times.
His best performances came in big games. Tuoyo tallied 19 points, 13 rebounds (10 defensive) and four blocks in the narrow home loss to Wofford. His defensive presence (6 blocks) keyed the home win over Big South Champion Coastal Carolina. He recorded seven blocks and grabbed 12 boards in the senior night triumph over ETSU.
Tuoyo was an All-SoCon pick by the coaches and second team All-SoCon media, while garnering NABC District 22 first team honors along with teammate Casey Jones. He averaged 10.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game. His 102 total blocks are more than 153 DI teams.
The Lefty Driesell award is named in honor of coaching legend Lefty Driesell, who is the only person to ever win 100 games at four different Division I schools. He is best known for his time at Maryland, leading the program to the National Invitational Tournament title in 1972 and it’s second-ever ACC Tournament Championship in 1984. He finished his career at Maryland with a 348-159 record and concluded his career with an impressive 786-394 mark.
The recipient of the 2015 award will be announced at the CollegeInsider.com Awards Banquet on April 3 in Indianapolis, site of the 2015 men's division I basketball championship.