University of Connecticut Athletics
Cam Spencer Enjoying The Basketball Time Of His Life
3/16/2024 12:47:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By PHIL CHARDIS
Special to uconnhuskies.com
NEW YORK – You would think that after watching some of his now-teammates run through the NCAA Tournament to the National Championship last season, Cam Spencer would be all excited about playing in the event himself this year.
Well, you would be wrong.
Not about the excited part. About the watching part.
By now, we all know what kind of fiery, fierce competitor Spencer is – he displays it in almost every game the Huskies play. But in case you needed another example, Spencer was so upset that Rutgers, his team last season, was snubbed by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, that he refused to watch one minute of the tournament in his own, private protest.
"I just thought Rutgers got screwed last year," he said, "so I had no interest in watching the tournament."
Suffice it to say, he hopes to watch a lot of games in this year's tournament – up close and personal.
No one is enjoying UConn's marvelous run this year more than Spencer. As part of what Coach Dan Hurley calls the best backcourt in the county, Spencer has combined with grad student Tristen Newton to give the Huskies a devastating 1-2 scoring punch and dual three-point threats. Newton leads UConn in scoring at 15.1 points per game with Spencer right behind him at 14.8. Spencer is shooting a sparking .491 overall, .454 from three-point range and .913 from the foul line. Both were voted to the All-BIG EAST First Team by opposing coaches.
Friday night, Newton scored 25 and Spencer 20 and each handed out 9 assists as the Huskies fought off repeated threats by St. John's for a 95-90 win and a berth in the BIG EAST Tournament Championship game.
"Spencer does all the things that are terrific and Newton is great," St. John's Hall of Fame Coach Rick Pitino said afterward. "They have a great basketball team. We were hoping for a BIG EAST crown, but the other team was better than us."
Spencer's statistics are spectacular, but they really can't measure how many clutch shots he has made – or clutch passes he had made, or clutch rebounds he has grabbed – to bail the Huskies (30-3) out of tight spots this year.
The stats also can't measure how much fun the Davidsonville, Md., native is having as a part of this team.
"Everyone is just so unselfish," Spencer said. "No one cares who scores, everyone looks for each other. It's just playing basketball the way it's supposed to be played."
Spencer could not have found a better fit for his skills than this UConn team and the Huskies couldn't have found a better fit to fill the shooting and scoring void left by the departure of Jordan Hawkins, Joey Calcaterra, and Nahiem Alleyne.
"The teammates that I have, they make you look good," he said. "It's so easy to play with them."
Games like Friday night are also part of the reason Spencer chose UConn. His first three seasons at Loyola-Maryland and last year at Rutgers offered nothing like the BIG EAST Tournament Friday night semifinals before a frenzied, sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden.
"We've played here a lot and we feel like it's another home spot for us," he said. "We love playing in this environment and credit to our fans for coming out here and supporting us. I'm a competitor, so I love these environments. The greater the atmosphere, you more you have to raise your level."
Long before he joined UConn, it's obvious that someone taught Cam Spencer the right way to play basketball. The rest came about because of a true love for the game, a tireless work ethic, a willingness to be coached, and an inner competitive fire that can't be taught.
Next week, he'll get to put all those attributes on display during college basketball's greatest showcase. Judging by the season he's had so far, Spencer figures to make sure it was worth the wait. Â Â Â Â
