Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee adds Derrick Walker, Yves Pons to signing class

Published Apr. 12, 2017 5:44 p.m. ET

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Tennessee has added forward Derrick Walker and guard/forward Yves Pons to its recruiting class.

Walker, 6-foot-8 and 250 pounds, signed with Tennessee out of Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas. He previously attended Raytown (Missouri) Senior High School, where he also was a wide receiver on the football team.

Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said Wednesday in a statement announcing the signing that ''Derrick is going to blend nicely into our team due to his combination of size, strength and toughness.'' Barnes added that ''there are a lot of signs that point to him being able to help us immediately.''

Pons is a 6-6 wing from France. He intends to play with the French team at the FIBA U18 European Championships group phase competition in the Slovak Republic this summer before enrolling at Tennessee.

Barnes says Pons ''will bring elite athleticism, explosiveness and versatility to our program - both on the perimeter and inside.''

Walker and Pons join a recruiting class that already included forward Zach Kent, who signed with the Volunteers in November.

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