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 Southeastern Conference 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.

‘He needed to add weight and get stronger, and that’s basically what we did with him,’ Akins said. ‘We put 20 to 25 pounds on him and made him stronger, and as he got stronger, he got more explosive. From our work this summer, I’ve seen differences in his ability to jump, his quickness of the floor and his ability to stay in the point and hold people out. He’s a much better player.’

Akins’ comments are backed by some of the games Varnado has delivered this season. On three occasions, ‘Swat’ has swatted 10 shots and recorded only the third triple-double in school history against Kentucky with 10 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocks. Besides leading the nation in blocks, Varnado also leads his team in rebounds per game with 8.6.

Mississippi State head coach Rick Stansbury noted the difference between Varnado and former standout Dampier, stating that Dampier was 7-feet and 275 pounds, which is much bigger than Varnado.

‘(Dampier) blocked with sheer strength and size, and that’s not Jarvis’ situation,’ Stansbury said. ‘He’s got great timing and a quick jump. Through experience he’s learned how to play with longer stretches and learned how to block shots and not foul.’

As would be expected, the opposing SEC coaches have not noted Jarvis’ performance. Heading into last week’s crucial game against Mississippi, Rebels’ head coach Andy Kennedy said his team needed to be observant of the fact that Varnado would be patrolling down low, and his team would have to make adjustments to that.

‘Varnado is tremendous in the way he impacts the game,’ Kennedy said. ‘He has great timing and a knack for being around the ball and it seems like that on every possession.’

Teammate and point guard Jamont Gordon, who once also had a triple-double, said Varnado has become the most influential person on the team’s defense. Gordon said Varnado allows the team’s defenders to gamble on going after the ball because they know he can stop the dribbler from driving to the rim, either by blocking the shot or altering it.

Gordon also said watching Varnado makes him feel as if he’s watching a show.

‘He’ll get three blocks in a possession, and you’ll be watching and be like, ‘Dang, how’s he doing it?” Gordon said. ‘It’s a lot of fun to watch, and he’s a great shot-blocker.’

Around the nation

Five Missouri players were suspended indefinitely on Tuesday after a weekend brawl. Tigers’ leading scorer Stefhon Hannah suffered a broken jaw and could be out for the season. … Virginia Military’s Reggie Williams leads the nation with 27.3 points per game. … The Big 12 conference leads the nation in teams ranked in the AP poll with five. Of the six BCS conferences, the Atlantic Coast Conference comes in last with only two teams ranked, though they are No. 3 North Carolina and No. 4 Duke.

Game of the week

Gonzaga at No. 21 St. Mary’s

Monday, 11 p.m. ESPN2

For the past few years, Gonzaga has been dancing in March with the bid from the West Coast Conference. But this year, St. Mary’s might have something to say about that.

St. Mary’s comes into the game at 17-3 and ranked nationally. The Gaels have not lost at home this year and have knocked off Oregon and Seton Hall. But none of those wins would match the importance of taking down Gonzaga.

With both teams looking as if they will get bids to the NCAA, whether they win the league or not, expect the home court advantage to make the difference and give the Gaels the inside track toward the top seed in the league tournament – until they have to try to do it again at Gonzaga.

St. Mary’s 82, Gonzaga 78

Published on January 30, 2008 at 12:00 pm