The Lefty Driesell Defensive Player of the Year Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's college basketball defender in NCAA Division I competition. The award was established in 2010 and is named for head coach Lefty Driesell, who is the only head coach to amass 100 wins at four different Division I schools and is best remembered for his success with the Davidson Wildcats and Maryland Terrapins programs.
Jevon Carter of West Virginia is the only two-time winner of the award.
Darion Atkins of Virginia won it in 2015.
KC Ndefo of Saint Peter's won it in 2022.
Charles Grice "Lefty" Driesell was an American college basketball coach. He was the first coach to win more than 100 games at four different NCAA Division I schools, Driesell led the programs of Davidson College, the University of Maryland, James Madison University, and Georgia State University. He earned a reputation as "the greatest program builder in the history of basketball." At the time of his retirement in 2003, he was the fourth-winningest NCAA Division I men's basketball college coach, with 21 seasons of 20 or more wins, and 21 conference or conference tournament titles. Driesell played college basketball at Duke University.
Lefty Driesell in 1976
Driesell playing for Duke, circa 1952
Driesell at Davidson in 1963
Driesell gives his trademark "V-sign" during his first season at Maryland.
