Tarris Reed Jr. knows what the Spurs are going through.
The former UConn center, drafted by San Antonio with the No. 26 overall pick on Tuesday night, is already on a similar wavelength as his new team. Both made it to the biggest stage at their respective level and came up short. Both carry chips on their shoulders heading into the next NBA season.
“I know the feeling. Working for something so hard, tirelessly, having sleepless nights about it, and coming up short, it’s a different type of feeling,” Reed told San Antonio media at his introductory press conference on Thursday. “(Losing the national championship game) was probably the toughest moment of my life. Especially working so hard for it, not knowing if you can really get there and then you’re actually there. And then when you get there and you come up short, it’s an indescribable feeling and it’s tough, it’s uncomfortable.
“It definitely sticks with me to this day, not gonna lie, but I feel like having a group of guys that just went through that last year with San Antonio, I feel like that’s gonna be huge for us next year.”
Reed will wear No. 10 for the Spurs since the No. 5, which he wore at UConn, already belongs to another former Husky, Stephon Castle.
Welcome to the family rooks 🤍🖤 pic.twitter.com/CuRITxs5r2
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) June 26, 2026
Castle, the one-and-done fourth overall pick and 2025 NBA Rookie of the Year, reached out after Reed was drafted. They missed each other at UConn by a season, but there is a community that comes with coming from the same program, sharing experiences had with the same coaches and some of the same teammates.
“Just knowing I’ve got another fellow UConn Husky to play alongside with this year is gonna be pretty special,” Reed said. “Definitely gonna talk about some cool, crazy, funny (Dan) Hurley stories or just something that he went through that we both went through playing in that program. But just excited to get to play with another Husky.
“Playing for a coach like Coach Hurley, he’s gonna coach you at the highest level, he’s gonna demand every ounce of potential; everything out of you,” Reed said. “I’m here right now looking back at my whole career, it’s like, ‘Man, he really did push me to the max.’ You’re always just so appreciative and just grateful for a coach like that.”
Reed was standing off to the side as an official visitor, watching as Castle and the 2024 UConn team celebrated back-to-back national championships with a parade in downtown Hartford. He dreamed of being in a parade like that, and he did everything in his power to keep that hope alive, willing the 2026 Huskies through the NCAA Tournament and back to the Final Four.
Reed set the tone with 31 points and 27 rebounds in UConn’s opening round win over Furman and went on to average 19.5 points, 13.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 blocks throughout the tournament. In vouching for his center ahead of the NBA Draft, Hurley said Reed’s case was made in the Elite Eight win over Duke, when his effort at both ends of the court fueled the 19-point comeback victory.
Added another Husky to the squad 🐺@Ticketmaster | @UConnMBB pic.twitter.com/3Eo3nGr1NB
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) June 24, 2026
Spurs General Manager Brian Wright was well aware.
“It is an added benefit that Tarris is experienced. He comes from a very great program, playing for Coach Hurley. We had a little luck there taking someone from that program once before,” Wright told reporters. “So we felt very comfortable that, if needed, he can come in and provide some help. But we looked at both players (Reed and No. 20 pick Jayden Quaintance) in a vacuum and how they add to this team, whether they’re playing Day 1 they step in the building, or it’s a few months from now, whatever it is. We do think what he brings to the table is something we really value.”
Reed will also be playing with, and potentially alongside the 2024 Rookie of the Year in 7-foot-4 French sensation Victor Wembanyama, who is already playing at an MVP level after three seasons in the association. It was clear in the playoffs, as teams were increasingly physical with Wembanyama and wearing him down, that the team could use a more physical presence to handle some of the dirty work.
“Physicality, rim protection, rebounding, the ability to guard in different coverages, screening, those types of things are incredibly important,” Wright said. “You don’t hear that as much when you talk about the draft and upside, but those are things that are very important to how teams function and work together. The ability to finish around the basket, the ability to pass on the short roll, there’s a lot of things that (he can) do.”
And the grizzly bear, as he was called on his best days in Storrs, is ready and willing.
“That’s what helped us win, man. Especially last year, senior year at UConn, going all the way to the national championship, I really had to embrace the part of the game that you might not get a lot of credit for. Just my screening, my rebounding, my physicality, being just a force down low on both sides of the court,” Reed said. “I feel like, if that’s what I gotta do to win, sign me up. 10 times out of 10, I’ll do it every time.”
