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<\/a>Bruce Spencer raised his sons with the mentality that \u201csports are meant to be won.\u201d Pat Spencer never forgot that message. (Photo courtesy of Donna Spencer)<\/p>\nBruce Spencer is a self-described ultra competitor, something Donna Spencer said is just innate to who he is. He said he won\u2019t even play church volleyball because \u201csports are meant to be won.\u201d<\/p>\n
To say that mentality rubbed off on his sons would be an understatement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To this day, Pat Spencer said he credits the way his family raised him for his success. Specifically, he said his grandpa, dad and anyone else who\u2019s \u201ca little off in the head competitively\u201d have served as role models.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pat Spencer packed his schedule with almost every sport as a kid, seeking out opportunities for competition. In a given season, he was on up to as many as three teams for different sports. His parents said getting him to all his practices was a constant rush, but to feed his competitive nature, they had to make it work.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s always been that ferocious, \u2018I want to win\u2019 kind of kid.\u201d Donna Spencer said. \u201cWhen he was little, we tried to temper it. But I believe part of it\u2019s just the nature of who he is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Between the lacrosse field and the basketball court<\/p>\n
By the time he entered high school, Pat Spencer\u2019s main commitments had narrowed to lacrosse and basketball.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As a high school freshman, though, the 5-foot-4 120-pound Pat Spencer was undersized when it came to hardwood. Despite his best efforts, he got stuck on junior varsity through sophomore year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In lacrosse, however, his size didn\u2019t matter as much. Though he also started his high school career on junior varsity, Spencer was quickly able to make a name for himself as an attacker at summer lacrosse programs.<\/p>\n
By the start of his junior year, the pressure to commit to a school \u2014 and a sport \u2014 was mounting. With loose regulations at the time, fellow talented high school lacrosse players had already signed their offer letters, leaving limited options for Pat Spencer.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was the wild west back then,\u201d Bruce Spencer said. \u201cYou had eighth and ninth graders committing to schools they couldn\u2019t even spell the names of.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pat Spencer had to make a decision. He loved basketball more, but knew the odds of securing any kind of collegiate commitment at that time were slim to none. And for Pat Spencer, competing at the highest level possible was always his top priority.<\/p>\n
Fortunately for him, Charley Toomey, the coach of Loyola Maryland men\u2019s lacrosse, noticed Pat Spencer\u2019s prowess on the field and still had an open spot on his team.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Division I school would keep Pat Spencer close to home, where his entire extended family was excited to cheer him on. After a couple visits and a few good conversations, he was in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once he signed, his growth skyrocketed. By the end of his junior year of high school, Pat Spencer had helped his varsity lacrosse team win a conference championship.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe knew we were getting a good one,\u201d Toomey said.<\/p>\n
Pat Spencer also made significant strides on the basketball court in the following years and was catching the eyes of some scouts who came to watch his teammates.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One teammate in particular, Kodye Pugh, was gaining some attention in Pat Spencer\u2019s senior year. When the scouts came, his coach, Cliff Rees, would send Pat Spencer into the game to help Pugh showcase his talents. But Pat Spencer ended up serving as a distraction.<\/p>\n
\u201cNumerous times, (Rees) said the scouts came back asking about Pat, and asking \u2018Is this kid committed?\u2019\u201d Donna Spencer said. \u201cAnd he would say, \u2018Yeah. But not for basketball.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Pugh\u2019s mom was upset that Pat Spencer was taking up the spotlight, Bruce Spencer said. But for Pat Spencer going halfway has never been an option.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Becoming a lacrosse star<\/p>\n
Pat Spencer started practicing for his freshman season at Loyola Maryland in September 2015. Once the team got going, he was immediately a star.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In his first game, the Greyhounds faced off against Virginia on the road, a team studded with experienced vets and future professional lacrosse players.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After seven minutes, Pat Spencer had already posted a goal and an assist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
By the end of the game, Virginia\u2019s best defender was on him, Bruce Spencer said. And by the end of that season, Toomey said Pat Spencer was the best player in the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe game looked slower to him than it did for a lot of kids around him,\u201d Toomey said.<\/p>\n
Over the next few years, Pat Spencer continued to establish himself as a generational talent.<\/p>\n
His teammates loved him, too. He was the kind of guy to put his arm around a freshman in the locker room, Toomey said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But what stood out the most to Toomey was the fire that Pat Spencer possessed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was a constant competitor, to the point that I\u2019ve never seen it,\u201d Toomey said. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to play him in checkers.\u201d<\/p>\n
When summer rolled around, though, it was always a different story.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wouldn\u2019t pick up a lacrosse stick,\u201d Bruce Spencer said.<\/p>\n
Whether it was playing pick up at the Loyola gym, running competitive games at pro-ams or practicing with his brother, Pat Spencer was all basketball until regular lacrosse practice resumed in September.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Toomey said he and the Greyhounds didn\u2019t mind as long as he wasn\u2019t getting injured. He was getting more exercise on the basketball court than most of his teammates were with the standard strength and conditioning program, Toomey said.<\/p>\n
Even once lacrosse season was back on, Pat Spencer needed more. He would frequently eat his lunch at the Loyola Maryland basketball team\u2019s practices before heading back to the lacrosse field.<\/p>\n
By the end of his time at Loyola, he had set the all-time NCAA Division I record in assists, was second in points, a one-time winner and three-time finalist for the Tewaaraton Award, the first player to receive Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year honors all four seasons, and was widely recognized as the greatest lacrosse player ever.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
After being selected first in the 2019 Premier Lacrosse League Draft, Pat Spencer\u2019s future lacrosse career was mapped out. But his itch for basketball just wouldn\u2019t go away.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe four years at Loyola were really magical,\u201d Donna Spencer said. \u201cWe loved it, he loved it, but it just wasn\u2019t his dream.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joining the \u2019Cats<\/p>\n Pat Spencer knew he had to give basketball a shot. But even his most loyal supporters, like Toomey, weren\u2019t sure that giving up lacrosse was the right move.<\/p>\n Still, Pat Spencer never doubted himself.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a believer in, if you have a passion for something, you got to pursue it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n With no basketball tape or highlights to look at though, finding a scholarship was tough.\u00a0<\/p>\n Only one coach decided to give him a shot: NU\u2019s Chris Collins.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you\u2019re the best in the world at something, whatever that is, there\u2019s a greatness to that, and Pat carries some of that,\u201d Collins said. \u201cI just felt, even if he wasn\u2019t a great basketball player, some of his qualities would rub off on our younger guys.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Collins extended a scholarship to Pat Spencer and he joined the Wildcats as a grad student guard that next summer.<\/p>\n After a Europe trip with the team, he was excited to hone his skillset in Evanston.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew I was going to have to learn a lot about my game and my body,\u201d Pat Spencer said. \u201cThat whole year was really a learning experience for me.\u201d<\/p>\n To his benefit, his lacrosse background assisted in the transition. He said many of the skills and drills were similar across sports. Even some of the lingo was the same: pick-and-rolls, fast breaks and man-to-man defense.<\/p>\n The players on the NU women\u2019s lacrosse team, meanwhile, were stoked to have Spencer joining the Wildcat family, coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said in an interview with Northwestern Athletics in 2019.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s pretty much a superstar in our sport,\u201d she said. \u201cEverybody knows who Pat Spencer is.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n His family, too, was more than excited to see Pat Spencer in action on the court.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cam Spencer was also playing at the collegiate level at Loyola Maryland at the time, but for their parents, Big Ten basketball was where it was at, Bruce Spencer said.<\/p>\n \u201cNo disrespect to the Patriot League, but they\u2019re not quite like the Big Ten venues,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen we got that going, I was like, \u2018I\u2019m not going to miss these games.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n And his family definitely got to see him play. Pat Spencer started in 29 of 31 games he played during his year with the \u2019Cats.<\/p>\n But his stats didn\u2019t jump off the stat sheet. He averaged 10.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists on 43.6% shooting from the field.\u00a0<\/p>\n More importantly for Pat Spencer, though, the team didn\u2019t perform as he would have hoped. NU went 8-23 during his year there, and his career ended on a 74-57 loss to Minnesota<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt was frustrating in terms of losing,\u201d he said. \u201cFirst time I\u2019d ever lost in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, Collins was focused on building something bigger.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pat Spencer knew where he stood. He was the only grad student on a roster stacked with freshmen. He could see what Collins was working towards, but knew they weren\u2019t going to get there in his time.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to leave a blueprint of competitiveness, an edge, and a fire on some of those young guys, so they would have something going forward,\u201d Pat Spencer said.<\/p>\n For one freshman in particular, Collins said Pat Spencer\u2019s mentality left a mark: guard Boo Buie. In the years after Spencer left, Buie would go on to become the \u2019Cats\u2019 all-time leading scorer and take the team to their second and third NCAA Tournament appearances.\u00a0<\/p>\n Even for current \u2019Cats, the Spencer mentality has left a mark.\u00a0<\/p>\n Senior forward Nick Martinelli recalled a time where he squared off against Cam Spencer. He said that it\u2019s easy to see how both brothers have succeeded after witnessing his \u201cunmatched\u201d competitiveness first-hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite Pat Spencer\u2019s modest performance in the 2019-20 season, he still had his sights set on the NBA.<\/p>\n Though Pat Spencer made great strides while at NU, even Collins said he wouldn\u2019t have guessed that dream would come true. He could have used one more year in Evanston to finish polishing his game, Collins thought at the time.<\/p>\n Still, knowing Pat Spencer\u2019s mindset, he knew better than to rule it out as a possibility.<\/p>\n \u201cI just never bet against that guy in anything,\u201d Collins said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Making his dream a reality<\/p>\n The next year, after completing his master\u2019s in sports administration over the summer and going undrafted, Pat Spencer found a spot on the Hamburg Towers in Germany.\u00a0<\/p>\n After his brief stint abroad due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he returned to the States and continued to work hard on his individual game in Washington D.C. with a professional trainer. With the personalized coaching, he started noticing real progress.<\/p>\n Pat Spencer dedicated particular time to working on his 3-point shot. While at NU, the first-time college hooper shot a weak 23.5% from behind the arc. In the NBA, he has worked his way up to over 40%.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2021, he signed with the Capital City Go-Go, the NBA G League affiliate of the Washington Wizards. A year later, he made it to California with the Warriors G League affiliate.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pat Spencer continued to improve year over year. By last season, Pat Spencer was averaging 22 points as a star for the team. In February 2024, his performance earned him his first NBA Contract: a two-way deal with the Warriors.<\/p>\n This year in particular, has been a hallmark year in Pat Spencer\u2019s career.\u00a0<\/p>\n With Curry, the Warriors\u2019 star guard, injured for large swaths of the season, Pat Spencer had a real opportunity to step up and get serious playing time.\u00a0<\/p>\n In typical Pat Spencer fashion, he did not take this opportunity lightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n He got into double-digit scoring 11 times and put up as many as 13 assists in a single game before signing a full-time contract. Even to NBA players, his competitiveness is something special.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s not backing down from anybody,\u201d Curry said. \u201cThat\u2019s why he\u2019s where he\u2019s at right now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Spencer also became a media sensation this season. First, it was a clip of him going head-to-head with his brother Cam Spencer. Then, it was him shouting to the crowd after a big three, \u201cI\u2019m that motherf\u2014r.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Fans couldn\u2019t get enough. He also earned him Warriors coach Steve Kerr\u2019s respect, too.<\/p>\n \u201cHis coach realized that Pat is that motherf\u2014r,\u201d Kerr said in a postgame press conference.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pat Spencer doesn\u2019t care about any of it, though.\u00a0<\/p>\n He\u2019s a simple guy, he said. He is not on any social media, rocks number 61 \u2014 a reminder of the 60 people drafted in front of him \u2014 and still drives the same car from high school.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t value material things,\u201d he said. \u201cI value relationships, I value hard work, I value family, I value being able to turn a game on on a Wednesday night and see my brother play in the NBA. Those are the things that are fulfilling.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n While Pat Spencer continues to defy the odds, back in Evanston, Collins is loving every minute of it. He said in his more than 25 years coaching the sport, watching the progress Pat Spencer has made is one of the more remarkable things he\u2019s ever seen.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything else that makes me smile more than when I turn on a Warriors game and see him out there,\u201d Collins told the Chicago Tribune in December.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pat Spencer is now just one of three former \u2019Cats with current NBA contracts, along with Pete Nance (Communication \u201922) and Brooks Barnhizer (Communication \u201925).<\/p>\n At first, it was just a good story: a lacrosse star turned NBA player. But signing the standard contract marked something different.<\/p>\n Just days before inking his name, Pat Spencer said his goal was to impact winning at a high level. With a contract, he could do what he\u2019s always loved and have the security take care of his family.<\/p>\n Since then, Pat Spencer has opened the doors to a future where that could be a possibility.\u00a0<\/p>\n But going forward, he said his competitiveness still drives him. He said he\u2019s got his mind set on the one thing he hasn\u2019t won in any sport since high school: a championship.<\/p>\n \u201cYou try to embrace everything and enjoy it along the way, but when you\u2019re wired competitively, sometimes it\u2019s hard to take those moments in,\u201d Pat Spencer said. \u201cI\u2019m sure one day I\u2019ll be able to look back on it all and appreciate the journey.\u201d<\/p>\n Email: [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Related Stories:<\/p>\n \u2014 By the Numbers: \u2019Cats in professional basketball leagues around the world<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/a>Pat Spencer and Charley Toomey pose for a photo with his freshly won Tewaaraton award in 2019. (Photo courtesy of Charley Toomey)<\/p>\n<\/a>Collins said Spencer left an indelible mark on Boo Buie, who went on to become the \u2019Cats all time leading scorer.\u00a0 (Photo courtesy of Donna Spencer)<\/p>\n