Pat Spencer Talks Pro Basketball Plans on 'Overtime' Season 3, Ep. 14

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.”