Spencer’s March Madness dream comes true
NEW YORK — In the far corner of the UConn men's basketball locker room Friday evening, Cam Spencer sat on a folding chair and cut athletic tape from his ankles. Think of how many hundreds of times he's done this over the past five years following practices, shootarounds and games.
Spencer had just played his 127th college game. It was his NCAA Tournament debut. He scored 15 points in the
Huskies' 91-52 victory over Stetson at the Barclays Center, the first step of a journey familiar to a program and entirely new to a player.
“Unbelievable,” Spencer said. “I've dreamed of playing in March Madness my whole life and to get that first game was pretty special. I'm just happy to get the win, honestly, and that's all I'm focused on.”
Spencer at this moment, literally and essentially, was alone. The rest of the room was lined with teammates at locker stalls who had either, A) been through this tournament and won it so convincingly a year ago or, B) were still in high school.
“And then Cam,” coach Dan Hurley said.
Hurley was standing outside the locker room minutes later. He gritted his teeth. He pumped his fist. He had pulled Spencer out of the transfer portal as a fifth-year graduate, a transaction that gave UConn a scorer and a more advanced heartbeat, and gave Spencer an elusive opportunity.
“You recruit these guys and lay out a vision, what you hope it will look like,” Hurley said. “We had a lot of confidence in what would happen for us this year, and he was the missing ingredient. We all want this for other people, and that's what makes it special.”
Hurley mentioned Tristen Newton, Donovan Clingan and Alex Karaban, all key players during last season's national championship run. Others, freshmen like Steph Castle and Jay
lin Stewart, were planning for proms. One faction of players made winning this complicated event look exceedingly easy last year, and the other knows nothing of the college experience without participating in the opening weekend as the No. 1 seed and blowing out a first-round opponent that is more of a golf or baseball school. And then Cam … Spencer had just finished up his one season at Rutgers after three at Loyola when UConn went on its 2023 run. He didn't watch a second of March Madness, so irked not to be part of it.
“Some of these guys played a huge role last year so they're going for history, or what have you,” Hurley said of the attempt to repeat. “Then there are guys who either didn't have a big role or weren't even in it. These are rare opportunities. This doesn't happen, the run this program is on. Just where this program is at, where we've elevated it to, Cam gets a lot credit for that. Because he's infused this team with ...”
Hurley gritted his teeth again. He pumped his fist again.
“With that [bleepin'] competitive fire,” Hurley continued. “He just drives people, and it's helped me root out a lot of complacency.”
Another pause, a grimace.
“Because he's such an a-hole.”
That's praise of the highest bleepin' order in the UConn basketball solar system. Maybe Spencer is the blonde version of Hurley or Hurley is the bald version of Spencer, as was discussed Thursday. Either way, their like-mindedness has been so apparent throughout a magical season that is part run-itback and part start-it-up.
Spencer's presence alone is a reminder that UConn is doing things that so many players don't get to. That is healthy.
“I think perspective kicks in towards the end of every year, because you know it's win or go home,” Spencer said. “You're not promised any more days or any more games with each other, and I think we all don't want that to happen.
We want to keep going until April. As an older guy, I can tell the young guys how fast time flies. But I don't think it really hits them until a couple years down the road.”
The NCAA Tournament sits there at the end of the rainbow, sits there, sits there, sits there as the destination … and then it can be over before it feels like it started. Look at what happened to Florida Atlantic, a Final Four team at year ago that returned its entire lineup this season, Friday in Brooklyn. The Owls (25-9) had a nice season but were bounced by Northwestern in the early first-round game. Poof. Gone.
There is great urgency on this stage. There has to be. That means cherishing
and maximizing every single second of this tournament, which, of course, becomes increasingly difficult.
UConn crushed Stetson from the get-go, leading 27-10 and 50-15. There were a lot of dunks and assists and 3-pointers and easy baskets, and a defensive ferocity that Stetson could not match with any idea or ability.
But Spencer, for his experience and his understanding of the man in charge of the operation, can understand why Hurley was a little irked that UConn spent a stretch looking a little lackadaisical.
“I wasn't happy with the second half,” Spencer said. “I don't think any of us were. I think our defense let us down a little bit. I think, human nature,
just kind of played the score, let them get some momentum. So I don't think any of us were happy with that. But as far as the overall game, we're happy we got the win.”
Next up: Northwestern, where Spencer's older brother, Pat Spencer, spent the 2020-21 season as a graduate basketball player — after four seasons of not only playing lacrosse, but playing lacrosse as well as any player in the nation, at Loyola.
Pat Spencer is now on a two-way contract with the Golden State Warriors, splitting time with Steph Curry and Co. and the organization's GLeague affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors. Cam's parents, Bruce and Donna, and a very close
friend who traveled from Utah, were in attendance Friday. Cam said his older brother is hoping to fly in for Sunday's game.
“We'll both be rooting for UConn,” Spencer said.
UConn is three victories from a return to the Final Four. One more in Brooklyn, two in Boston. A national semifinal in Phoenix in April 6 — Spencer's 24th birthday.
“Playing in March Madness is a dream and this is his last chance at it,” said freshman Stephon Castle, who is in Spencer's position in that this is more than likely his only season at UConn. An NBA lottery selection as a one-anddone player awaits him. Spencer is a five-anddone. He applied for a sixth college season but was denied by the NCAA.
“He's a perfect fit for our group,” Castle continued. “I'm super happy for him, finally getting this opportunity. He's a great teammate and he just wants to win. For me to be on this team and impact his last year, it's a special feeling.”
Donovan Clingan was across the locker room.
“We played at the highest level last year, in front of 75,000 people in Houston, so I feel like that prepared us returners for any atmosphere and any type of pressure,” Clingan said. “Just telling these new guys that it's just a regular basketball game. Obviously it's win or go home but it's just a regular basketball game and you can't think about it any differently.”
The NCAA Tournament feels different, of course. Especially the first one. Especially when you've put five years into the pursuit.
“If you don't show up, do your job and execute at a high level, anyone can be beaten,” Spencer said.
He has no more than five games remaining in his college career. That means he can appreciate that the fact that there are imperfections to harp on. What the heck was Stetson doing at the free throw line 20 times? Why was UConn outscored for half of the second half? The Huskies' second-half field goal percentage was just 39.5?
“It's so awesome,” Hurley said. “Cam has given this team tremendous drive.”