UVA’s Salt Suits Up One Final Time at JPJ

By Jerry Ratcliffe

If basketball arenas could cry, John Paul Jones would shed a tear this afternoon for Jack Salt.

He came to us from a land most of us know little about, tagged with a name that would fit perfectly in a gumshoe mystery or spy novel, and built like Ivan Drago, the Russian villain in Rocky IV.

There’s nothing villainish about Jack Salt, unless you happen to be victim of one of his jarring screens that have left many unsuspecting opponents sprawled on the hardwood. Dude, you’ve been salted.

At 6-foot-10, 250 pounds, he packs quite a punch.

Virginia’s lone senior is old school. Lombardi and Wooden would have loved Salt for his unwavering loyalty, his dogged discipline. Want a guy who would run through a wall for you? It’s Jack. The outcome would be interesting.

If Tony Bennett could select any Virginia player that could serve as the poster boy for his Five Pillars, my money’s on Salt.

For five long years the big Kiwi has worked his butt off. He’s started 102 games, including 70 in a row until his prolonged back problems forced him to sit out a game in November.

There’s no flash to his game unless you like a well-timed, two-hand slam. No eye-popping stats. He averages 3.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. He once went wild in College Park early in the season with a career-high 12 points in UVA’s impressive win over Maryland in the ACC-Big 10 Challenge.

No, it’s the little things, things that aren’t revealed in a box score that make Jack Salt valuable. He’s the perfect big man role player in Bennett’s lineup, a fact backed up by every teammate he’s ever had.

No doubt there will be a roar from Saturday’s crowd, which will salute Salt on Senior Day, a fact not lost on his teammates. He’s the old man of the group.

“I think we’ve made the joke he’s been here 17 years at least a hundred times this year,” wise-cracked Kyle Guy. “He’s big on the court, off the court. He’s a really good dude and has a weird accent.”

Everybody owns their own Salt impression, but Guy probably does the best of the big New Zealander who hails from Auckland. In fact, some Wahoo fans refer to Salt as the “Auckland Wall.”

All kidding aside, his teammates have nothing but respect for the big guy, who is a member of the New Zealand national team, the All Whites (white and black are the country’s official colors).

“This year Jack has been asked to do something not many people are asked to do,” said point guard Ty Jerome. “Going into a game he doesn’t know how many minutes he’s going to get or if he’s even going to take one shot during the game, and his attitude never changes.

“He’ll give 110 percent for us every single possession, and that’s something you don’t see in almost any other guy in the country,” Jerome continued. “If you ask them to take 30 minutes one game and five minutes the next, I don’t know any other guy in the nation that would give you their all, and he does. He continues to lead every day. He continues to fight through back pain. He’s just, he’s a warrior, and I’ll go to battle with him any day.”

Salt doesn’t limit his leadership to game time. He’s a hard worker in practice and shares his knowledge with the other bigs, like 7-1 redshirt sophomore Jay Huff.

The understudy Huff credits Salt for helping toughen him up on the practice floor.

“When I redshirted I was kind of Jack’s practice dummy,” Huff laughed. “I’ve learned to be physical, but nowhere near his level of physicality. The way he rotates, the way he doesn’t stop playing. He’s so humble. He’s just a great all-around person. For the younger guys especially, he leads really well.”

Bennett is fortunate to have that type of player in his program. Not only does Salt display a strong work ethic, and leadership, he’s a smart guy, too. This week he was named to the All-ACC Academic Team, which requires a minimum 3.0 grade point average.

With an undergraduate degree in anthropology, Salt is presently pursuing a master’s in educational psychology at the Curry School of Education.

Still, he keeps a low profile. He’s surprised when anyone in town recognizes him on the street. He’s gained some notoriety back home for being a member of Virginia’s team, which has put together quite a run the past couple of years.

He stays off of social media.

“I try to block myself off from all that stuff, praise or negativity,” Salt said.

Told you Lombardi and Wooden would have loved him.

“I just focus on the locker room.”

His most fond memory thus far was being a factor in the win at Duke last season, breaking a 23-year losing streak to the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium. At season’s end, he’ll pack up that memory along with whatever he can stuff into what’s left of his Virginia career this postseason.

Saturday, though, is all about Jack Salt.

Several family members from around the world will be in attendance for his farewell to JPJ.

His father, Simon, a personal chef in London and Spain, will be here along with his mom, Maria Antis, from New Zealand. She operates childhood centers back home. His sister, Sophie, who is a scholarship rower at Oklahoma, along with an aunt and uncle will also participate in the ceremony.

They may show some emotion, but not Jack, not the old man. Not his style. He’ll remain reserved, plus he would never hear the end of it.

Salt will bring his passion to the court in attempting to help Virginia win its fourth regular season title over the past six years. That is all he needs for now.