From Tewaaraton winner to NBA prospect?

The phrase in itself seems farfetched, but with each day, Pat Spencer pushes closer to making it a reality. The former Loyola men’s lacrosse star decided to spend his fifth year of athletic eligibility playing basketball at Northwestern, a school competing in the Big Ten — the most competitive conference in college basketball.

After a successful 2019-20 season in which he led the Wildcats in assists and finished second on the team in points and minutes, Spencer had a decision to make. Would he pursue a career in professional lacrosse — where he’d surely be one of the best players in the world — or pursue a career playing his favorite sport, basketball?

Last week, Spencer signed with Tandem, an agency aimed at getting players exposure to the NBA. For now, Spencer, the two-sport star and our March cover subject, will try to make his childhood dreams come true. He spoke with Paul Carcaterra about his multi-sport upbringing, following his passion at Northwestern and why he’ll always have love for the lacrosse community.

“My first love is basketball, and I can’t get rid of that itch and it’s something I’m happy to pursue,” Spencer told Carcaterra. “At the end of the day, I still love the game of lacrosse, and it’s something I will be keeping up with and support no matter what I’m doing.”