Spencer Macke is Not a Joke

Morgantown, West Virginia – Sophomore guard Spencer Macke’s appearances into home games last season were treated with laughter and applause, but really, he can contribute to the Mountaineers.

Macke has already become a fan favorite in the WVU Coliseum.  Last season, he greeted by a standing ovation every time he entered a game and was 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.

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 shot 31% from the field and 22% from three point range.  Macke, in comparison, shot 18% from the field and 25% from three point range in far less minutes during garbage time.

Spencer Macke is extremely gifted and achieved an incredible amount during his high school career. It’s important to remember that Macke was the top scorer in Kentucky and 10th in the country as a senior in high school, averaging 34.9 points per game.  In addition, he led the state of Kentucky in rebounding as a senior with 15.8 rebounds per game.  He also shot 50.1 percent from the field, 42 percent from 3-point range and 75 percent from the free throw line as a senior in high school.

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 his senior season and he said the following:  “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 only played sparingly and in blowout situations last season, with continued hard work he could potentially see real quality minutes in the upcoming year and in the future 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.