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HOO TO WATCH: REDSHIRT FIRST-YEAR CENTER JACK SALT The name Jack Salt conjures images of some type of rough- and-tumble action movie star in the mold of a Vin Diesel or The Rock. And rough and tumble is exactly how Virginia's redshirt first- year plays. Salt has brought a physical presence to Virginia ever since arriving from New Zealand. "Jack head hunts," said UVA head coach Tony Bennett, while discussing Salt's propensity for setting solid screens. Bennett emphasized that nothing the 6-11, 250-pounder does is illegal or dirty. Rather, everything just has an edge to it. "There are practices where he is just a load — keeping the ball alive, nailing people," Bennett said. "A lot our guys are like, 'That's a foul!' Their heads are on a swivel when Jack's around because he's going to pop somebody." Redshirt fourth-year forward Anthony Gill echoed Bennett. "He's an animal," Gill said. "He's really hungry. He wants to play. He shows that every day. He doesn't take no for an answer on the offensive glass. He might foul out of the game, but he's going to go hard. "And that's what we need — somebody's who's going to be physical and someone who will work as hard as they can to give his all to the team." Salt was born in England, but spent the majority of his life in Auckland, the biggest city in New Zealand. While rugby is the big sport there, Salt actually comes from a family of rowers. His mother, Maria, once tried out for the country's junior national team. Salt was only 5-10 until a growth spurt just before high school. In addition to helping lead his high school team to two national titles, he played as an amateur on a pro team in New Zealand that had players as old as 36 on it — another factor in the development of his hard-nosed style. Salt, who has an aunt and uncle who live in Washington, was intrigued with the idea of attending college in the U.S. "I just wanted to try something new," Salt said. "I knew that if I passed up on this opportunity, I could never get it back. Playing college basketball and getting an education was real big. If I get injured one day, it's good to have a degree to fall back on." This season, Salt will be competing for playing time at one of the backup big man spots behind fourth-year Mike Tobey. Teammates say Salt has improved immensely since last season. "He had zero offensive game when he came in," Gill said. "Now he has a little something. He's a physical hard-nosed player who crashes the glass." Salt's competitive streak is what stands out most to redshirt fourth-year guard Malcolm Brogdon. "I love that about him," Brogdon said. "He's just a competitor. When you have guys like that on the team, who will push Mike Tobey and the other starters, it's always a recipe for success." — Whitelaw Reid Salt (left) — a 6-11, 250-pound native of England who grew up in Auckland, New Zealand — will provide the Virginia front- court with a physical presence off the bench. PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA