Why Pat Spencer, one of the best lacrosse players in the country, chose to play basketball at Northwestern
Adam Rittenberg
ESPN Senior Writer
EVANSTON, Ill. — Two summers ago, Pat Spencer slipped into a gym in Baltimore, seeking a good run of pickup basketball.
In his first game, he raced downcourt and dunked. “We’re like, ‘Who is this dude?'” said Kurk Lee, the athletic director at the Under Armour House in Baltimore and a former NBA player. “Everyone in the gym fell in love with him.”
For two months, Spencer played pickup at UA House, alongside expats who played professionally in Europe and even some, such as Josh Selby, who had reached the NBA. Spencer blended in, never mentioning his other sport until the day he told Lee he had to leave for lacrosse practice at nearby Loyola University.
“I’m like, ‘Lacrosse? What?'” Lee recalled. “I couldn’t believe it.”… [more]
