April 4, 2014
PAYTON WINS 2014 LEFTY DRIESELL AWARD
DALLAS, TX -- Louisiana at Lafayette's Elfrid Payton is the recipient of the 2014 Lefty Driesell National Defensive Player of the Year award.
Payton led the Sun Belt Conference in steals for the second consecutive year, recording 80 and increasing his school-record total to 197. The 6-foot-3 Payton finished second on the team in rebounds (6.0) and was part of a defensive unit that led the Sun Belt Conference in rebounding margin and was second in steals.
He was one of 10 Division I players during the season to record a triple-double when he scored 34 points, with 11 rebounds and 11 assists at ULM. Payton scored 31 points in games against Houston and Western Kentucky and 32 against Oakland while posting six double-doubles, including games at Louisiana Tech and defending national champion Louisville.).
The Lefty Driesell award is named in honor of coaching legend Lefty Driesell, who is the only person to ever win 100 games at four different Division I schools. He is best known for his time at Maryland, leading the program to the National Invitational Tournament title in 1972 and its second-ever ACC Tournament Championship in 1984. He finished his career at Maryland with a 348-159 record and concluded his career with an impressive 786-394 mark.
2014 LEFTY DRIESELL DEFENSIVE ALL-AMERICA TEAM
| Cameron Ayers | 6-5 | Sr. | Bucknell |
| Khem Birch | 6-9 | Jr. | UNLV |
| Alec Brown | 7-1 | Sr. | Green Bay |
| Rhamel Brown | 6-7 | Sr. | Manhattan |
| Willie Cauley-Stein | 7-1 | So. | Kentucky |
| Tekele Cotton | 6-2 | Jr. | Wichita State |
| Aaron Craft | 6-2 | Sr. | Ohio State |
| Scott Eatherton | 6-8 | Jr. | Northeastern |
| Joel Embiid | 7-0 | Fr. | Kansas |
| Justin Jackson | 6-8 | Sr. | Cincinnati |
| Jordair Jett | 6-1 | Sr. | Saint Louis |
| Nick Johnson | 6-3 | Jr. | Arizona |
| Du'Vaughn Maxwell | 6-7 | Sr. | Hampton |
| K.J. McDaniels | 6-6 | Jr. | Clemson |
| Daniel Miller | 6-11 | Sr. | Georgia Tech |
| Chris Obekpa | 6-9 | So. | St. John's |
| Elfrid Payton | 6-3 | Jr. | Louisiana at Lafayette |
| Trevor Releford | 6-0 | Sr. | Alabama |
| Marcus Smart | 6-4 | So. | Oklahoma State |
| Kenneth Smith | 6-3 | Jr. | Louisiana Tech |
| Corey Walden | 6-2 | Jr. | Eastern Kentucky |
| Scottie Wilbekin | 6-2 | Sr. | Florida |
| Kendall Williams | 6-4 | Sr. | New Mexico |
| Briante Weber | 6-2 | Jr. | VCU |
| Patric Young | 6-9 | Sr. | Florida |
2023: Caleb McConnell, Rutgers
2022: KC Ndefo, Saint Peter's
2021: Davion Mitchell: Baylor
2020: Juvaris Hayes, Merrimack
2019: Matisse Thybulle, Washington
2018: Jevon Carter, West Virginia
2017: Jevon Carter, West Virginia
2016: Vashil Fernandez, Valparaiso
2015: Darion Atkins, Virginia
2014: Elfrid Payton, UL-Lafayette
2013: Tommy Brenton, Stony Brook
2012: Anthony Davis, Kentucky
2011: Kent Bazemore, Old Dominion
2010: Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State
