Men's Basketball, WVU Sports

Carter named Naismith, NABC Defensive Player of Year

MORGANTOWN — Jevon Carter’s list of postseason awards and honors got a new twist April 1.

The WVU men’s basketball standout was named the inaugural Naismith Defensive Player of the Year by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.

“Jevon has enjoyed an amazing college career, and his defense prowess illustrates why he is incredibly deserving of this award,” said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club.

For a second consecutive season, Carter was also named the national NABC Defensive Player of the Year.

His accomplishments with the Mountaineers make him one of the best all-around players in school history.

A four-time member of the all-Big 12 Defensive team and the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year as a junior and senior, Carter is the Mountaineers’ all-time leader with 330 steals.

“I’ve always been a hard worker on and off the court, and it just shows that hard work pays off on the court and in the classroom,” Carter said in a release. “I’m proud that I stayed on course and kept focused on my goals through college on and off the court. I’m thankful for being blessed to win the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award and having the opportunity to attend West Virginia University.”

The Maywood, Ill. native guided the Mountaineers to four NCAA tournaments and he is the school’s all-time season leader with 246 assists and he scored a career-high 17.3 points this season.

Already, Carter has secured consensus second-team all-American status after being named to the 10-member John Wooden all-American team, as well as a second-team all-America by the Associated Press and Sporting News.

He’s been named a third-team all-America by the NABC and USA Today.

Carter was also previously awarded the Senior CLASS Award, which goes to the nation’s top four-year player.