by Alex Schwartz

A few weeks ago, I caught up with Word of Life (VA) small forward Tristan Spurlock '09, a Virginia-signee who is regarded as one of the top seniors in the nation. Before I was ready to post that interview, Virginia fired Head Coach Dave Leiato. Thus, I waited to post what I got from Spurlock, and yesterday I caught up with Tristan to see where things stood for him. Now I'll be able to show you his thoughts pre-Leiato's firing and what he is thinking now.

First off, have a look at an overview conversation we had prior to the shakeup at Virginia:
What led Spurlock to commit to the Cavaliers in the first place? "UVA was in my top three for a while and when my mom and pop [and I] visited, it felt like home. I like the coaching staff and the fans as well." The talented wing said that his "last three were UVA, Clemson, and Georgetown, [while] Louisville and Wake Forest were also in the mix." Tristan, who said he considers the strongest point of his game to be his "overall game" with the weakest aspect bing his "consistency," told me that he was unsure if the Cavs were pursuing any other class of 09 ballers "because almost everyone has committed." What is Tristan's relationship with fellow class of 2009 Virginia commit, Jontel Evans? "[We] played on Boo Williams all summer together so we are pretty good friends. He actually helped me a little more to commit once he had chosen UVA." Spurlock, who has already signed his National Letter of Intent to play for Virginia, told me the following when I asked him who he would compare his game to: "I get a lot of people who tell me I play like Kevin Durant and that I act like Kobe [Bryant]. I think that's a pretty good mix." It's interesting that there is a chance—as there always is with players when the coach of the school they have signed with departs for some reason—that Spurlock may not end up at UVA, as he had told me that he transferred to Word of Life for the following reason: "Honestly, after I decided to go to UVA, I wanted to be closer to home. Montrose [Christian, in Maryland] is like one hour and 25 minutes away every day." He "went to Woodbridge High [School as a] freshman" and then Montrose Christian for two years and now is at Word of Life for his senior season. How did he end up picking Word of Life as his school for hi senior year? "My father did some research and found out about it, and it's very close to home, like 15-20 minutes."

That's how our talk went a few weeks back. Here's how it went yesterday:
The first thing I asked Tristan was whether or not he remains committed to the University of Virginia, to which he replied, "I signed the LOI, so yes I am, but right now I'm just waiting and praying. [I am] just waiting for the new coach [to be named]." Spurlock informed me that he has not asked to be released from his binding National Letter of Intent. Are there any coaches whose names he has heard mentioned in connection with the UVA job that he would specifically like to play for? "Honestly, I've [heard] names from [Minnesota Head Coach] Tubby Smith to [Texas Head Coach] Rick Barnes, but that's just [what] the media [has said], but I will sit [down] with any coach they pick [and] I will meet with [him]." I inquired of Tristan if there were any schools in specific that he would consider should he decide Virginia was not the right school for him now, and he responded, "Right now I'm not at that point, so I'm not thinking [about it], but I have some schools in mind," adding, "They are just thoughts right now, nothing serious." The latter is what Spurlock said when I asked him what schools he was thinking about. One would have to think that the schools he told me previously (Clemson, Georgetown, Louisville, and Wake Forest) would be in the hunt. Tristan, who said that UVA assistant Bill Courtney was the main coach recruiting him, told me he would like to see the school hire a coach "in the next couple of weeks or so." Will Jontel Evans' decision to go to Virginia or head elsewhere play a part in his decision? "Yeah, he is a good friend of mine, so yeah it will, but I told him that he has to do what's best for him and he feels the same way for me."

Tristan Spurlock and what he decides his future destination will be is certainly something to watch as we near the late signing period. I'll be sure to keep you informed.

Note- photo is from http://scouthoops.scout.com/