SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The nickname “Swat” perfectly described Jarvis Varnado during his days at Haywood High School in Tennessee. The current sophomore at Mississippi State was often taller than his opponents, as he blocked 13 shots in a game as a senior and 15 shots once as a sophomore.
In college, though, Varnado’s height advantage evaporated. Listed at 6-foot-9 and 195 pounds, the forward/center often gives up several inches and size to his adversaries. The sophomore had to learn to use other attributes besides height to try to block shots.
Unfortunately for opposing head coaches, Varnado has learned how to use those attributes well and continues to earn the nickname “Swat.”
Varnado has emerged as the top shot-blocker in the nation this season despite his size while leading Mississippi State to first place in the SEC West division. Varnado, who leads the nation with 97 blocks and a 5.1 blocks per game average through Tuesday, cites his timing and offseason work as key contributions to his success.
That’s not to say this success wasn’t foreseen. Last season, Varnado broke Mississippi State’s freshman block record of 65 set by Erick Dampier (a current member of the Dallas Mavericks) in 1994-95 with 67 blocks. But Varnado often fouled out of games because he said he didn’t know when to foul or not to foul.
But this season, Varnado is working his way into the Mississippi State record books and possibly the SEC record book. He is only 10 blocks away from setting the school’s all-time record with 107 and has a shot at breaking Shaquille O’Neal’s SEC record of 157.
“If you look at me, you would think I wouldn’t be playing because I’m just a tall skinny kid in the SEC,” Varnado said. “But I would consider myself a good shot-blocker right now. My timing has been great, and it’s just the instincts of it.”
The surprising part emerges when comparing Varnado to other great shot-blockers in the nation, as Varnado comes in on the smaller end. Connecticut’s Hasheem Thabeet comes in at 7-foot-3 and 263 pounds, UNC-Asheville’s Kenny George is 7-foot-7 and 360 pounds and Jerome Jordan from Tulsa is 7-foot and 235 pounds. Being smaller makes Varnado rely on other attributes besides height to reject shots.
Varnado says his timing of when to jump to block the shots, along with his wingspan makes his difference. Having a wingspan of 7-foot-4 allows Varnado to block shots from various angles.
Varnado credits his work with Mississippi State assistant strength coach Richard Akins for helping him develop his timing and quickness this offseason, which in turn has made Varnado a better shot-blocker this season.
Akins described how he used many box drills to improve Varnado’s footwork, along with squats to strength his lower body so he could be more explosive with his footwork.
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