This article appears in the March 2020 edition of US Lacrosse Magazine. Don’t get the mag? Head to USLacrosse.org to subscribe.

Seven years ago, Pat Spencer was a skinny 5-foot-6 afterthought on the lacrosse field — and certainly no one’s idea of a pro basketball prospect. He also was just a sophomore in high school.

What happened after that became the stuff of legend in our sport. Spencer experienced a substantial growth spurt, shot up to 6-foot-2, rewarded Loyola for its faith and patience in recruiting and evolved into one of the most prolific playmakers in NCAA history.

That alone would have secured Spencer’s place in lacrosse lore. But what he’s doing now, away from the sport, should only cement his legacy.

Do not feel spurned, lacrosse fans. Because even though Spencer sure sounds like he’s hell-bent on playing basketball overseas this summer rather than suiting up in the Premier Lacrosse League, the tradeoff, as ESPN analyst Paul Carcaterra told writer Ella Brockway, is that he legitimizes our sport in the eyes of those who might otherwise cast it off as a novelty act.

We also should celebrate Spencer because he embodies perfectly the benefits of long-term athlete development. Multi-sport participation is one of six core values espoused by US Lacrosse in the Lacrosse Athlete Development Model. Why? Because the long-term advantages of playing multiple sports far outweigh the short-term gains of specializing in one.

You gain confidence, which Northwestern women’s lacrosse coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said was readily apparent when she watched Spencer work out for the Wildcats basketball team. You avoid burnout and reduce your risk of overuse injuries. And skills cross over from sport to sport.

“The spacing and the objectives are very similar, especially from an offensive standpoint,” Spencer told Brockway. “It’s critical for kids to play multiple sports at a young age. Lacrosse definitely helped me develop [in basketball].”

I’ve always admired the single-mindedness of our sport’s leaders when it comes to encouraging multi-sport participation. What possible benefit was there to US Lacrosse hosting a sport sampling event with USA Field Hockey last summer other than it’s the right thing to do?

In Spencer, we see why.

“It’s great for kids to look at him as an example and think that’s a possibility,” said Brandon Gaudin, a basketball analyst for the Big Ten Network. “Maybe he can influence some kids to play two sports longer, rather than just focus on one — building up friendships and competition.”