Harper Named Finalist for 2025-26 Lefty Driesell Award
3/10/2026 6:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty men's basketball's JJ Harper has been named a finalist for the 2025-26 Lefty Driesell Award.
The award is presented annually to the top defensive player in Division I college basketball. Harper is one of only 25 finalists on the listing featuring the top defenders in the nation.
The recipient of the award is determined by a 10-member voting committee, which consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of CollegeInsider.com. The 2026 award will be announced in Indianapolis, Ind., site of the men's Division I Basketball Championship Final Four.
This is Harper's second postseason defensive award, as he was named to the CUSA All-Defensive team on Monday, Liberty's second CUSA All-Defensive team member in program history (other: Joseph Venzant, 2023-24). Harper shares the team lead in steals (40, 1.3 spg) and ranks second on the squad in blocks (32, 1.0 bpg). He currently ranks 10th in CUSA in steals per game and 12th in blocks per game. The redshirt senior guard from Orlando, Fla. averaged 1.2 spg and 1.1 bpg (12th in CUSA) in 20 league games.
Harper tallied a season-high four steals on two occasions and notched multiple steals in 11 regular season games. The guard blocked three shots in two games and had two or more swats eight times over the course of the regular season.
Harper is also averaging 11.0 points per game (No. 5 on team) while shooting 59.2 percent from the field and 38 percent from three-point territory.
The Lefty Driesell award is named in honor of the legendary coach who spent over four decades as a head. Driesell won 786 games in 41 years at Davidson, Maryland, James Madison and Georgia State. He ranks eighth on the NCAA Division I coaches career victories list, and hist team at each stop were known for playing tenacious defense. From 1969-96 at Maryland, his squads posted a 348-159 record, won two ACC regular season titles and one ACC Tournament crown.
Driesell also led Davidson, Georgia State and James Madison to the NCAA Tournament, making him one of only three coaches to reach the NCAAs with four different programs. His teams won a total of 16 regular season championships and conference tournament crowns. Driesell passed away in Feb. 2024 at the age of 92.
Harper and CUSA No. 1 seed Liberty (25-6, 17-3 CUSA) are gearing up their 2026 CUSA Championship quarterfinal game. The top-seeded Flames will face either No. 8 seed FIU (15-16, 8-12 CUSA) or No. 9 seed Missouri State (14-17, 8-12 CUSA) on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Eastern at Propst Arena in Huntsville, Ala.
The award is presented annually to the top defensive player in Division I college basketball. Harper is one of only 25 finalists on the listing featuring the top defenders in the nation.
The recipient of the award is determined by a 10-member voting committee, which consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of CollegeInsider.com. The 2026 award will be announced in Indianapolis, Ind., site of the men's Division I Basketball Championship Final Four.
This is Harper's second postseason defensive award, as he was named to the CUSA All-Defensive team on Monday, Liberty's second CUSA All-Defensive team member in program history (other: Joseph Venzant, 2023-24). Harper shares the team lead in steals (40, 1.3 spg) and ranks second on the squad in blocks (32, 1.0 bpg). He currently ranks 10th in CUSA in steals per game and 12th in blocks per game. The redshirt senior guard from Orlando, Fla. averaged 1.2 spg and 1.1 bpg (12th in CUSA) in 20 league games.
Harper tallied a season-high four steals on two occasions and notched multiple steals in 11 regular season games. The guard blocked three shots in two games and had two or more swats eight times over the course of the regular season.
Harper is also averaging 11.0 points per game (No. 5 on team) while shooting 59.2 percent from the field and 38 percent from three-point territory.
A ???? defender
— Liberty Men's Basketball (@LibertyMBB) March 10, 2026
JJ is a finalist for the Lefty Driesell Award (top defensive player in the nation)!
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The Lefty Driesell award is named in honor of the legendary coach who spent over four decades as a head. Driesell won 786 games in 41 years at Davidson, Maryland, James Madison and Georgia State. He ranks eighth on the NCAA Division I coaches career victories list, and hist team at each stop were known for playing tenacious defense. From 1969-96 at Maryland, his squads posted a 348-159 record, won two ACC regular season titles and one ACC Tournament crown.
Driesell also led Davidson, Georgia State and James Madison to the NCAA Tournament, making him one of only three coaches to reach the NCAAs with four different programs. His teams won a total of 16 regular season championships and conference tournament crowns. Driesell passed away in Feb. 2024 at the age of 92.
Harper and CUSA No. 1 seed Liberty (25-6, 17-3 CUSA) are gearing up their 2026 CUSA Championship quarterfinal game. The top-seeded Flames will face either No. 8 seed FIU (15-16, 8-12 CUSA) or No. 9 seed Missouri State (14-17, 8-12 CUSA) on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Eastern at Propst Arena in Huntsville, Ala.
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