"A superteam merchant", "Gaudy numbers": Fans tussle online over Dan Hurley as Ex-UConn star drops 51 in NBA G League

Cam Spencer was one of the four starters for Dan Hurley's UConn Huskies, who won the national championship last season, to leave the team for the NBA in the summer. Spencer was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in the second round of the draft on Jun. 27 but was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies that same night.

On Monday, the Grizzlies two-way signee had a breakout performance in the NBA G League when he scored 51 points in a win for the Memphis Hustle over the Birmingham Squadron at Landers Center.

Spencer’s 51-point outburst was the highest of his career and was also the second time in Memphis Hustle's history that a player scored over 50 points in a game.

College basketball fans reacted to the former UConn star’s big night on X while also weighing in on a discussion about coach Hurley.

"Dan Hurley is a superteam merchant. You’re telling me that he had Donovan Clingan, Stephon Castle, Tristan Newton, and Alex Karaban and this guy on one team. I could’ve coached that team to 30 wins," one fan said.

"Gaudy numbers. I am sure Dan Hurley wishes Spencer had availability!" another fan said.

"Yeah, I *think* we may have given Dan Hurley too much credit for his knowledge of X’s and O’s when in reality he mainly just had some incredible players the last few years," a fan said.

Here are some more reactions from fans.

"For the second Monday in a row, Memphis fans can say thank you to Dan Hurley and UConn," one fan said.

"Cam is awesome, missed by Hurley! He will make it in the NBA, great all-around player, besides a dynamite 3-point shooter!" another fan said.

"If Cam Spencer had played for a real dignified college instead of crazy Dan haha Hurley, he would have a close tournament win and an NBA contract," one fan said.

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How did Cam Spencer's game evolved under Dan Hurley’s leadership at UConn?

Cam Spencer joined the UConn Huskies ahead of the 2023-24 season from Rutgers. After three seasons at Loyola, he spent the 2022-23 season with the Scarlet Knights, averaging 13.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.

As a final-year senior at UConn, Spencer improved his overall game under Dan Hurley’s guidance, leading the Huskies to the NCAA national championship glory.

Cam Spencer started in all 40 games for UConn, averaging 14.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.6 assists and 1.5 spg, while shooting 48.4% from the field, 44.0% from the three-point range and 91.1% from the free-throw line.