Pat Spencer put together one of the most illustrious careers in the history of college lacrosse, leading Loyola for four years and taking home the Tewaaraton Award in 2019. Then, he decided to chase his childhood dream of basketball, heading to Northwestern to play in the Big Ten.

Now with his college athletics career over, Spencer is going pro — chasing after a career in basketball rather than lacrosse. He sat down with Paul Carcaterra to talk about his plans.

Here are the top takeaways.

Spencer’s Basketball Inspirations

Pat Spencer grew up in a golden age of basketball, with stars emerging in the NBA in the early 2000s. It wasn’t hard for him to find inspiration on the court.

His favorite players? Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter — four of the pillars of the NBA during that time.

“That was my first love for basketball when those guys were in their prime,” he said. “[My brother] Cam and I were reminiscing about our NBA Street and NBA 2K video games, and those were the stars.”

Although he’s a proud Maryland native, Spencer also had a soft spot for Duke basketball and J.J. Reddick.

The Basketball Dream Never Faded

Spencer made the decision to pursue college lacrosse at Loyola when he was a 5-foot-10 high schooler. He figured he didn’t have the height to chase after college basketball, and he had a passion for lacrosse.

As he got taller and continued rising in the lacrosse world, Spencer spent much of his free time in the offseason playing and studying basketball. He made sure not to interfere with his lacrosse commitments, but he worked on his basketball game as much as possible.

“The whole fall I would play pick-up pretty religiously, almost three or four times a week,” Spencer said. “I would go into the gym at maybe midnight or 1 a.m. and get shots up whenever I could.”

In the summers, he headed to Baltimore to play pick-up with ex-professional players, where he fit right in. Even when he was taking the lacrosse world by storm, Spencer was thinking about a future in basketball.

Spencer had to Prove Himself

Spencer was excited to make the move to Evanston and play for Northwestern, but he knew he’d have to shake the image of a lacrosse player from his teammates’ minds.

“Other coaches were skeptical about me, and my teammates, rightfully so, were probably a bit skeptical of me,” he said. “‘A guy who played lacrosse for four years in college is now coming to play for our basketball team, so what does that look like?’”

As a senior on a young team, Spencer went to work showing the Wildcats that with his work ethic and leadership, he could be an integral part of the team. He needed to gain his teammates’ trust.

Spencer finished second on the Wildcats in points (10.4 PPG) and led the team in assists (3.9 APG). He made an impact and proved that he could make basketball a career.

He’ll Always Have Lacrosse in his Heart

Spencer may have always wanted to pursue a career in professional basketball, but he never fell out of love with the sport he grew up playing in Maryland. Lacrosse was as integral a part of his upbringing as basketball.

Even when he left to play at Northwestern, Spencer said he took time out to watch his Loyola Greyhounds play during the 2020 season. He may not be playing the sport anymore, but he won’t lose his passion for lacrosse.

“It’s always been a love of mine. People think me pursing my first love of basketball might mean that I don’t love lacrosse, which is totally untrue,” he said. “I’ll be keeping up with it no matter what I’m doing.”