Pat Spencer, one of the best college lacrosse players of all-time, is signing a two-way contract with the Golden State Warriors. His basketball journey has been quite unique!
Spencer played basketball at Boys’ Latin School in Maryland, which is also hotbed for lacrosse. A massive growth spurt propelled him from 5-foot-6 to 6-foot-2 between his sophomore and junior years— and saw him jump from the J.V. to Varsity level.
That was the start of a meteoric rise as a recruit.
Spencer finished with 49 goals and 51 assists en route to Under Armour All-American status as a senior. As a result of his strong play, he ended up committing to play college lacrosse for Loyola (Md.). It did not take long for him to succeed!
The Greyhounds went 49-19 during Spencer’s four years with the program and reached the NCAA Final Four in 2016. Their 6-foot-3 205-pound attackman was a big catalyst for success. He finished his career as the most-decorated athlete in the school’s history.
Spencer became the NCAA Division I all-time leader in assists (231) and second in Division I in points (380) while at Loyola. His junior season led him to be named the Tewaaraton Award winner, the Heisman Trophy of lacrosse, and he also received the Lt. Raymond Enners Award as the USILA national player of the year as a senior.
However, despite being picked first overall in the Premier Lacrosse League’s Inaugural 2019 Collegiate Draft, Spencer chose to forgo a professional career and went back to school.
Pat Spencer pursued his NBA dreams instead!
Rather than playing for the Archers in the PLL, Spencer used his final year of collegiate eligibility to play basketball at Northwestern and averaged 10.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. It was a pretty strong campaign in a year where the Wildcats struggled.
Now, at 27 years old, Spencer is getting his first opportunity to play in the NBA after signing a two-way contract with the Warriors. His deal comes after playing four years of professional basketball.
Spencer left Northwestern shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic. He played 2021 with the Hamburg Towers in Germany, later signed a G League deal with Capital City Go-Go, and spent the last three years in the Golden State organization.
Now, after becoming one of the best players in the history of college lacrosse, Spencer is set to suit up for a National Basketball Association in the regular season for the first time. Pretty cool!