Oct. 31, 2011
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By Claire Burnett
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - This time a year ago, sophomore forward Tristan Spurlock had just transferred from a campaign at Virginia and was unable to compete with the UCF men's basketball team for the 2010-11 season. Spurlock came to UCF seeking a program where he could excel at the small forward position, but transferring to an entirely new city brought both struggles and rewards for the Virginia native.
"The most difficult part was not being able to play and having to sit out and watch all of the games. That was extremely hard, but I would say the most rewarding part is being able to start fresh and new. I've come to a totally different part of the United States here in Orlando and it's been a great experience," he said.
Sitting out the past year however wasn't the only tough part for Spurlock.
"Away games were tough to deal with. My teammates are like my brothers, so when they would leave you, you'd just be here by yourself. I also didn't have a car at the time so it was rough getting around."
Spurlock, who will play on the UCF Arena court for the first time Saturday when the Knights host West Virginia Tech for exhibition game, does believe that the circumstances presented an opportunity to grow.
"It made me mature. It made me come to practice everyday with a strong work ethic. It's a lot harder when you know you're working for the future and not right now. It's easy when you get to see your results right away. If my teammates practiced well, it may have resulted in more minutes, but if I practiced well it didn't result in anything but personal achievement. It was hard, but it forced me to take advantage of that time I had to become a better player."
Now Spurlock is solely focused on contributing for the Knights this upcoming campaign. He believes his role for the team will be to serve as a scorer and outside threat.
"We lost one of our best 3-point shooters last year and I definitely feel like my role is to step up in that spot and sort of fill that void. I need to do things offensively to create a mismatch problem for other teams."
In 2010-11, the 6-foot-8 forward shined as a member of the Knights' scout team. He concentrated on improving his defense. Spurlock also worked hard in the weight room, and added 10 pounds during the year. He now weighs around 230 pounds.
Spurlock's own personal goal for the season is to simply be the best player he can be and play as hard as he can every game. "I'm not setting a goal for points or rebounds, but in my mind I know exactly what I want to do. I'm excited for this team and excited for this year. We have great leadership so I know everyone can go and get after it."