Tristan Spurlock already making a difference at Central Florida

Central Florida may have had the best scout team in the country in 2010-2011.

With three high-major transfers -- Tristan Spurlock from Virginia, Jeff Jordan from Illinois, and Josh Crittle from Oregon -- sitting out a year as they waited to get eligible, the Golden Knights must have had some pretty intense and competitive practices.

Spurlock and company named themselves 'Team Buckets' because they "felt like they could score at any time." But that nickname morphed into something else when Josh Johns, a senior at UCF and a friend of Spurlock's, heard the name. From the Central Florida Future:

Team Buckets is now in the beginning stages as a non-profit organization aiming to work with youth in the community, with the goal of providing children a positive influence. The organization is themed around sports, with a large part of the foundation based around the usage of athletes as role models and people who the youth will listen to.

"We took that (the name) and we flipped it into an organization that we wanted to reach out to the community," Spurlock said.

Team Buckets has hosted two events, a basketball tournament in Pensacola and a BBQ in Orlando that was promoted and attended by Gilbert Arenas and Dwight Howard.

The goal of Team Buckets, as Spurlock says, is "to show [kids] that you can't just be an athlete and get by".

"You'll remember if Dwight Howard says, ‘Hey, stay in school,'" Johns said. "I know that things like that will make a lasting impression."

Spurlock gets it. He understands that he, as an athlete, plays a bigger role in the community than simply being able to put a ball in a basket. Its great to see a player give back, to try and make the city that he lives in a better place.

Athletes are idols. Kids dream of following in their footsteps, getting a scholarship and one day playing sports for money. Its a shame that more players don't take advantage of this opportunity to make a difference.