In-depth WaPo Patrick Spencer article

[Katatonic]

The most intriguing rookie in Big Ten basketball is also the best player in college lacrosse

By Matthew Gutierrez
July 5 at 1:04 PM
First, an admission: Pat Spencer became the best men’s college lacrosse player in the country though it’s his second-favorite sport.

Even as he racked up all-American honors for four consecutive seasons at Loyola (Md.), and even as he finished his career with the all-time NCAA assists record, Spencer’s first love was basketball. Always has been.

This explains why Spencer, the 2019 Tewaaraton Award winner, lacrosse’s version of the Heisman Trophy, “probably played more basketball than lacrosse over the past four years,” says his younger brother, Cameron. It also explains why earlier this month Spencer bypassed opportunities with both major professional lacrosse leagues to play his first and only season of college basketball as a graduate transfer at Northwestern. He wants to show he can ball, and convert his goal-scoring, playmaking abilities from the lacrosse field to the hardwood.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...ayer-college-lacrosse/?utm_term=.99cf2c4dba9e

Northwestern Coach Chris Collins considered the reasons Spencer could have a promising basketball future, even if it’s only for one season. At 6-foot-3, he has decent size for a guard. His shooting form is fluid. This spring, he showcased quick lateral movement and bursts of speed that, Collins said, could translate to hoops. In lacrosse, he exemplified an ability to set up and find teammates near the net. To Collins, that’s court vision.

Looking back, Loyola lacrosse coaches say they could see how he played like a point guard, under control, making split dodges look like crossover moves.

Collins and his staff know there lies a risk with Spencer: Though he’s played in summer leagues, he has not played a minute of college basketball, let alone at a Power Five school. Spencer admits he’s not yet in basketball shape. He’s confident a full summer of workouts in Evanston, Ill., will get him there. He wants to play in the NCAA tournament at a school that has made one appearance in program history (2017).

Around January, he almost scheduled a workout in front of Syracuse Hall of Fame Coach Jim Boeheim, but the timing didn’t line up. In the end, Spencer chose Northwestern over Saint Joseph’s.

Spencer ensured he’d get plenty of chances to develop his game. During his college summers, he played in the Annapolis Summer League. He was the MVP in 2017 and averaged 19 points last summer in the Brunson League, a pro-am competition in Baltimore. He did a bit of everything: He dunked. He knocked down three-pointers. And usually he defended the other team’s best player.

Nice photo of Spencer practicing at link.

Here's the (older) Trib/Teddy article on Spencer...

https://www.chicagotribune.com/spor...western-transfer-lacrosse-20190613-story.html

Spencer is such a dominant lacrosse player, Lafayette lacrosse coach Pat Myers told Stadium that calling him the LeBron James of the sport is not a reach: “His combination of size, athleticism, and technical skill make him extremely unique and special ... the fact that he is considering playing college basketball speaks to his freakish athleticism. Calling him the LeBron of college lacrosse is not far-fetched; it’s a legit comparison.”

Loyola Maryland basketball coach Tavaras Hardy, the former NU standout and assistant coach, told the Tribune the LeBron/lacrosse comparison is no exaggeration: “His physical stature, the way he passes and sees the field … he sees the basketball court the same way. I have not seen him play enough hoops to know exactly (how he will be next season), but he’s a worker who can really shoot. He is strong and strong with the ball.”

Cameron Spencer, Pat’s younger brother, will suit up for Hardy next season as a freshman.

Wonder how much of a role Hardy had in Spencer ending up in Evanston?

 

[DaCat]

The Patrick Spencer saga has the makings of a special story this season for the Cats. He's more of a gym rat than I thought, and his passion for hoops is refreshing.

 

[Medill90]

The photo is interesting. Greer isn't small. Which makes Spencer a pretty big, pretty thick guy.

Will be interesting to see what he can do. Hope we hear some buzz from the summer.

Katatonic, thanks very much for posting. Would have missed this.

 

[EvanstonCat]

The photo is interesting. Greer isn't small. Which makes Spencer a pretty big, pretty thick guy.

Will be interesting to see what he can do. Hope we hear some buzz from the summer.

Katatonic, thanks very much for posting. Would have missed this.

Dude, Greer looks like a little kid trying to guard Thor. Spencer looks huge in this picture.

 

[gocatsgo2003]

Dude, Greer looks like a little kid trying to guard Thor. Spencer looks huge in this picture.

6-3 205 on the Loyola lacrosse roster.

Kid seems like a solid not spectacular athlete, hopefully has a level of maturity from competing at the highest levels of another sport that can rub off on a NU team potentially looking for leadership with the departures of Pardon and Law.

 

[mikewebb68]

6-3 205 on the Loyola lacrosse roster.

Kid seems like a solid not spectacular athlete, hopefully has a level of maturity from competing at the highest levels of another sport that can rub off on a NU team potentially looking for leadership with the departures of Pardon and Law.

Yup, I think that's the reason CC took a chance on him, to try to being some leadership to a roster full of underclassmen. I don't expect much in the way of on-court contributions but if he can accelerate the development of teamwork among the other players through leadership, he will have done his job, imo...

 

[IGNORE]

Yup, I think that's the reason CC took a chance on him, to try to being some leadership to a roster full of underclassmen. I don't expect much in the way of on-court contributions but if he can accelerate the development of teamwork among the other players through leadership, he will have done his job, imo...

And he has schollies coming out of his ears.

 

[mikewebb68]

And he has schollies coming out of his ears.

We'll that too. But that hasn't prevented some from criticizing the pickup. To me it's a no-brainer; we need bodies, and he certainly isn't going to make things worse this year...

 

[DaCat]

Yup, I think that's the reason CC took a chance on him, to try to being some leadership to a roster full of underclassmen. I don't expect much in the way of on-court contributions but if he can accelerate the development of teamwork among the other players through leadership, he will have done his job, imo...

Spencer seems to be a borderline freak athlete. He's a dunking fool on the playground, an elite D1 athlete with fast twitch and physical strength, a gym rat, and a student of the game (my takeaway from his volunteer coaching of his high school team). The kid loves the game, so much that he is postponing a pro career in lacrosse. He's mature both physically and mentally. I think there's enough there to suggest that he may contribute in some meaningful fashion.

 

[NJCat]

Yup, I think that's the reason CC took a chance on him, to try to being some leadership to a roster full of underclassmen. I don't expect much in the way of on-court contributions but if he can accelerate the development of teamwork among the other players through leadership, he will have done his job, imo...

We're all just guessing. But it's hard to be a leader if you aren't contributing on the floor. I myself think Collins took a flier because he has open scholarships and there is zero downside risk for a one-year rent-a-player. Leadership will have to come from Gaines and Turner, starters who have paid their dues in power conference hoops for 2 or 3 years respectively.

 

[gocatsgo2003]

Spencer seems to be a borderline freak athlete. He's a dunking fool on the playground, an elite D1 athlete with fast twitch and physical strength, a gym rat, and a student of the game (my takeaway from his volunteer coaching of his high school team). The kid loves the game, so much that he is postponing a pro career in lacrosse. He's mature both physically and mentally. I think there's enough there to suggest that he may contribute in some meaningful fashion.

“Can dunk a basketball” doesn’t mean “freak athlete.”

 

[DaCat]

“Can dunk a basketball” doesn’t mean “freak athlete.”

No kidding. You missed the point. Again. Read the rest of the post.

 

[JournCat]

Everyone thinks he’s mature enough not to tank team chemistry if he doesn’t play. If that’s true, there really is no risk for us here. He’ll take Charlie Hall’s slot as the bench guy who keeps the national media happy

 

[EvanstonCat]

Everyone thinks he’s mature enough not to tank team chemistry if he doesn’t play. If that’s true, there really is no risk for us here. He’ll take Charlie Hall’s slot as the bench guy who keeps the national media happy

I think he'll end up starting for us, and be a big reason we end up in the post season.

 

[lunker35]

“Can dunk a basketball” doesn’t mean “freak athlete.”

He’s a freak athlete. He’s one of the best lacrosse players to ever play the game. Not just the player of the year, but a top 5 all time guy. Watch what he did on the field. He’s an absolute freak when it comes to athleticism and vision. Who knows how it translates to hoops, but the kid is special.

 

[DaCat]

He’s a freak athlete. He’s one of the best lacrosse players to ever play the game. Not just the player of the year, but a top 5 all time guy. Watch what he did on the field. He’s an absolute freak when it comes to athleticism and vision. Who knows how it translates to hoops, but the kid is special.

Thank you for the clarity. Lacrosse is one of the most demanding sports physically, and Spencer is the best of the best at the highest level in college. Hopefully with his passion and determination to succeed in basketball, he can be a contributor in this upcoming season. We need all the help we can get.

 

[gocatsgo2003]

Thank you for the clarity. Lacrosse is one of the most demanding sports physically, and Spencer is the best of the best at the highest level in college. Hopefully with his passion and determination to succeed in basketball, he can be a contributor in this upcoming season. We need all the help we can get.

He’s a very talented and very accomplished athlete, but not going to blow anyone away with sheer athleticism at the P5 basketball level.

 

[DaCat]

He’s a very talented and very accomplished athlete, but not going to blow anyone away with sheer athleticism at the P5 basketball level.

Again, the point being that his borderline freak athleticism will enable him to be competitive and contribute in hopefully some meaningful way. Nowhere was it even insinuated that he would "blow away" people with his athleticism or be the next coming of Giannis.

 

[Medill90]

I think we need to see him play against D1 competition.

Does he have a handle that would put him in the middle third of D1 point guards?

Will he control the ball or be a turnover machine?

Does the elite level vision and passing he has in lacrosse translate for this athlete to basketball?

He's been reported to have intuited a ton in lacrosse right away, does the learn NU's schemes much faster than a typical NU guard?

Word is he can play D. We've also heard he can play basketball.

But, the hope is he'll play a little PG and we just don't know if he has the pieces at this level. I hope we get some leaks next couple of weeks.

 

[NUThump]

Does anybody here have first hand knowledge of the pro-am summer league where he was MVP? I have done some searches and didn't recognize any of the players' names. Hoping that it has some quality.

 

[freewillie07]

We'll that too. But that hasn't prevented some from criticizing the pickup. To me it's a no-brainer; we need bodies, and he certainly isn't going to make things worse this year...

By “some” I assume you mean mostly InsideNU, which even by its standards has had an alarming number of bad takes lately.

 

[mikewebb68]

By “some” I assume you mean mostly InsideNU, which even by its standards has had an alarming number of bad takes lately.

Nope. Some on this very board have criticized it.

 

[ricko654321]

6-3 205 on the Loyola lacrosse roster.

Kid seems like a solid not spectacular athlete, hopefully has a level of maturity from competing at the highest levels of another sport that can rub off on a NU team potentially looking for leadership with the departures of Pardon and Law.

Yeah he does look big. I would have guessed more than 205 today from that pic. Steph Curry is 6'3" 190 (same height), I think Spencer is more like 225... hopefully with all the bulk he still retains sufficient quickness to create open shots. He and Gaines may be able to go toe to toe with any other 2-guard pair in the conference on strength and toughness.