Two weeks ago, Pat Spencer was in Japan, on a preseason trip with the NBA champions Warriors.
At the end of the world thanks to its place at the end of the bench, this cubic rear of 1m91 was far from imagining being able to share the daily life of the “Splash Brothers” on a world tour a few years ago.
Yes, because, three years ago, Pat Spencer moved from Loyola, Maryland, to Northwestern, Illinois. But more than the move, relatively short on the scale of the United States, it mainly changed sports. From the stick and the helmet, he went to the shorts and the orange ball!
The College Lacrosse GOAT
Why this change of sport so late? The main reason is that Pat Spencer had clear technical predispositions for both activities, but at 1m63 and 54kg for his freshman year in high school, his body just wasn’t ready for the court. He therefore fell back on the stock by default…
“It’s my first love”he says on ESPN. “There’s really no explanation. It has always been the sport that I have loved the most. Lacrosse is right behind, but with basketball, I’ve always had that passion. »
Committed to defending the colors of Loyola Maryland in this discipline resulting from ancestral practices of the Amerindian tribes, Pat Spencer honored his contract, and rather well! Named the nation’s best player with the Tewaaraton Award for his final season, in addition to the all-time Division I assists record (231) and fourth-best total points scored (380) in his sport’s college history, he had, so to speak, goes around the question in the small world of lacrosse.
Number 1 in the very first Premier Lacrosse League Draft in 2019, he caught everyone off guard by deciding to continue his college career at Northwestern, but in another sport! At 10 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists on average for the Wildcats, in 29 games, he aroused the interest of some scouts.
” It’s amazing “says Cliff Rees, his high school coach in Maryland. “Most people involved in the sport understand what an accomplishment that is and what it says about his talent. Going from four seasons of lacrosse in college to playing night after night in the Big Ten is amazing! As a former Division I player and former coach, I can’t imagine anyone else capable of doing that split. »
Another year in the G-League before breaking through?
After a quick freelance on the Hamburg side, at 9 points, 4 rebounds in 5 games in 2020-21, Pat Spencer returned home to boost his G-League rating. Within the Capital City Go-Go (alongside Joël Ayayi for a time), he showed his collective know-how with 7 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists on average.
On deck last summer for the “Summer League” in Las Vegas, he still wore the Wizards tunic for a similar production of 6 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in 4 games.
During this preseason with the Warriors, the former lacrosse star is rather discreet with 3 points and 2 rebounds on average, but if he does not pass the “cut” in the days to come, we can be sure that the boy will be still there in the antechamber, biding his time.
“He really showed us that he was a real player [durant un tournoi de début de saison] »remembers Tavaras Hardy, the coach of the Loyola basketball team. “He’s one of those guys who just wants an opportunity. Don’t tell her no just because it makes sense. Play him and see what he can give. »
In the vein of a Charlie Ward, the leader of the Knicks of the 90s who had hesitated between NFL and NBA, or of a Pat Connaughton who had been followed by MLB teams, Pat Spencer is one of those players gifted for more ‘a sport. If he could break into the Big League, he would be the first to do so coming from lacrosse.
His highlights with Loyola
