UConn’s very own Tarris Reed Jr. was drafted 26th overall by the San Antonio Spurs following a trade with the Denver Nuggets. Reed was named a First Team All-Big East selection this season with the Huskies after averaging 14 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.
Reed will join the Western Conference Champions, who have a ton to prove next season. Reed will play alongside former UConn Husky Stephon Castle and French phenom Victor Wembanyama. San Antonio also drafted Kentucky’s Jayden Quaintance, a talented but inexperienced big. With Luke Kornet as the backup center for the Spurs, it might take some time until Reed sees big minutes for the team. Kornet and Reed will battle it out for who can earn the second center spot, assuming Quaintance plays power forward.
Reed was a key player for the Huskies all season but took his game to another level as part of UConn’s run to the national championship game. His first-round domination against Furman boosted his draft stock after putting up 31 points and 27 rebounds. He’s the first player with such a performance since Elvin Hayes in 1968. The following week in the Elite 8 against Duke, he went up against the draft’s No. 3 overall selection, Cameron Boozer, and scored 26 points with nine rebounds, which helped the Huskies come back from 19 points down in the second half.
With these performances, Reed was named NCAA East Regional Most Outstanding Player as well as All-Tournament Team.
Reed missed a handful of games at the beginning of the season due to a hamstring injury. He got back into the starting lineup and did not disappoint. He really turned up the volume once March rolled around. Reed began the Big East Tournament on a high note with a 17-point, 14-rebound double-double, and a few games later, scored another 17 in the Big East Championship against St. John’s.
Before his time in Storrs, Reed played his first two seasons for the Michigan Wolverines, where he averaged 6.2 points and 5.5 rebounds. In his first year with UConn, he won the 2024-25 Big East Sixth Man of the Year, putting up 9.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game.
His NBA comparison? Picture a paint big with a strong defensive presence, like Neemias Queta or an Andrew Bogut-type player. Reed’s basketball IQ is unlike any other, especially playing for a coach like Dan Hurley. Reed is physical and is the first to throw himself to the floor for a loose ball.
