Spencer Macke is No Joke

Spencer Macke has already become a fan favorite in the WVU Coliseum.  He is greeted by a standing ovation every time he enters a game and is given numerous screens by teammates to free him for open jumpers and opportunities to score.

Every team has an underdog who works hard in practice and then sits at the end of the bench every game due to a lack of natural talent/athleticism.  For the West Virginia Mountaineers, this is Spencer Macke.  Although it’s really not.  Spencer Macke is extremely gifted and achieved an incredible amount during his high school career.

At 5’11 and 170 pounds, he has a very similar build as West Virginia’s starting point guard Jordan McCabe.  McCabe is listed as 6’0 and 188 pounds.  Although McCabe clearly has the advantage as a ball-handler, is he really a better shooter or scorer than Macke?

McCabe is currently shooting 29% from the field and 22% from three point range.  Macke, in comparison, is shooting 18% from the field and 25% from three point range in far less minutes during garbage time.

In the blowout victory over the Texas Longhorns, Macke made his first field goal of his career, a beautiful three pointer shot that everyone in the Coliseum knew was money as soon as it left his hands.  More recently, Macke banked in a three pointer against the Missouri Tigers to the delight of the West Virginia student section and really the entire Coliseum crowd.

 

Jalen Bridges said it best:

The leading high school basketball scorer and rebounder in the state of Kentucky is a preferred walk-on this year for Coach Bob Huggins and the West Virginia Mountaineers.  Averaging 34.9 points and 15.8 rebounds last year at Silver Grove High School, a very small school close to Huggins’ old stomping grounds of Cincinnati, Macke is the Mountaineer basketball player that no one was talking about before the season.  While Oscar Tshiebwe, Miles McBride, as well as JUCO recruits Sean McNeil and Tajzmel Sherman were all raved about, Macke went largely unnoticed.

Huggins first saw Macke play at the Adidas Gauntlet in Indianapolis while recruiting Oscar Tshiebwe.  Macke’s game was going on next to Tshiebwe’s game and took notice of the Silver Grove guard.  BlueGoldNews spoke with Macke at the end of the last year:  “After Oscar’s game, Coach Huggins came over and watched the end of our game. He has also seen me play a few other times since then, but that was the first. He offered me a preferred walk-on spot during the summer.”

Spencer Macke loves being a West Virginia Mountaineer and Mountaineer fans love him right back.  Although he will only play sparingly and in blowout situations, with continued hard work he could potentially see real quality minutes in the coming years for Bob Huggins’ team.

Don’t sleep on Spencer Macke.  He’s a bit undersized and lacks the typical athleticism of college basketball athletes, but he is a special talent and will contribute for the Mountaineers during his time in Morgantown.