Spurlock looks for an early impact

One thing is very clear when you talk to Virginia freshman Tristan Spurlock — he’s not some shy, timid kid who’s just hoping to make an impact on the program someday in the future.

Spurlock, a versatile 6-foot-8 player from Woodbridge, is planning on making an impact immediately.

“I definitely want to play,” said Spurlock, before the team practiced on Thursday at John Paul Jones Arena. “I don’t want to waste a year. I don’t want like a ‘learning’ year where I’m just sitting and watching. I want to get out there and really get after it, and be a force on the court.”

Spurlock, who along with fellow freshman Jontel Evans was originally recruited by former Virginia coach Dave Leitao, is clearly one of the team’s most athletic players.

“Tristan is a very gifted athlete — an explosive jumper,” said Virginia coach Tony Bennett, whose team opens its season

Nov. 13 at home against Longwood. “He has great dimensions in his body for his age. I think the upside is certainly there.”

Watching Spurlock play can remind you of former Syracuse standout Hakim Warrick, now a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. The sinewy Spurlock can play inside and outside, with his perimeter skills probably a bit further along at this stage than Warrick’s.

Spurlock has 3-point range, but he can also mix it up a little inside with his 217-pound frame. His ability to block shots from the weak side is also reminiscent of Warrick.

“He’s explosive,” said Virginia junior Mike Scott. “I can say that he has more hops than me — he’s very explosive.”

Spurlock says that playing defense at the college level has been his biggest adjustment so far. He says Bennett has been riding him hard to improve in that area.

“Scoring is not the problem,” he said. “After the first couple of pick-up games we had in the summer, I was used to offense. That comes naturally, and being 6-8, I can shoot over smaller guards like [Mustapha Farrakhan] and Jeff [Jones], and even Sylven [Landesberg] a little bit.”

Spurlock, whose favorite NBA player is Kobe Bryant — that’s why he wears No. 24 — says the hardest spot to guard has been the shooting guard. “Jeff [Jones] really lit me up the other day,” he said, smiling. “Guarding Jeff and [Farrakhan] off screens is really difficult, but guarding Mike down low is also rough.”

Offensively, Spurlock says he feels most comfortable on the wing, although he is in the process of learning all five positions on the court. One of Spurlock’s best attributes seems to be a high basketball IQ. That was evident when he discussed recent practices.

“You might see me bring [the ball] up. You might see me post,” he said. “When I’m at the ‘4,’ I can get a lot of mismatches with like Jamil [Tucker] guarding me or Mike [Scott] on the wing,” he said. “I can score on them, but the thing is, can I rebound or push them out of the lane on the defensive end?”

Off the court, Spurlock says that life at Virginia has been everything he

envisioned. Spurlock’s favorite class has been one in media studies — he says he wants to be a sports broadcaster someday.

Bennett, whose team has a closed-doors scrimmage with Marquette on Sunday, said he is still trying to get a handle on what will likely be one of the program’s main building blocks.

“He keeps learning and growing,” Bennett said of Spurlock. “We’re trying to figure out where he is best suited, but he has made a lot of strides since the fall.”

Dunks

Former Virginia star J.R. Reynolds was on hand at practice. Reynolds had been playing for a team in Naples, Italy. “Some stuff happened — they didn’t live up to my contract, so I got out of it,” Reynolds said. The Roanoke native, who is weighing new offers, said the silver lining is that he now has some time to rest the plantar fascitis in his foot.