CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – De’Andre Hunter (Philadelphia, Pa.) has been named the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division I Defensive Player of the Year presented by Marriott Bonvoy, announced on Tuesday (April 2).
 
Hunter helped the Cavaliers to their first Final Four since 1984 with an overtime win over Purdue in the Elite Eight round.  A lock-down defender, the 6-7 redshirt sophomore from was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and a second team selection on the NABC Division I All-America team. Hunter is second in scoring (14.9) and rebounding (5.0) for Virginia while helping Virginia lead the nation in fewest points allowed (55.4 ppg) and rank fourth in 3-point field goal percentage defense (28.7%) and fifth in field goal percentage defense (38.4%).
 
Hunter joins Duke’s Zion Williamson (Player of the Year/Freshman of the Year) and Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ (Pete Newell Big Man of the Year) to earn NABC honors.
 
Hunter, Williamson and Happ will receive their awards on Sunday, April 7, at the AT&T NABC Guardians of the Game Awards Show at the Main Auditorium of the Minneapolis Convention Center.  The show, which begins at 6:30 p.m. CT, is held during the annual NABC Convention in conjunction with the NCAA Division I Men’s Final Four. The Guardians of the Game Pillar Awards are presented annually for advocacy, education, leadership and service, the four core values of the NABC.
 
The show will be broadcast live on Stadium (https://watchstadium.com).