Colony sharpshooter signs NLI to play basketball at Lewis-Clark State

PALMER — Colony High School sharpshooter Colton Spencer celebrated his birthday by signing his National Letter of Intent to play college basketball at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho.

Spencer has played varsity basketball all four years for the Knights and maintained a 3.25 grade point average in high school. Spencer will play shooting guard and study psychology at Lewis-Clark.

“Every time I shoot, I think it’s going in so that’s why I’m never afraid to pull the trigger,” said Spencer.

Spencer thanked his family and teammates. Over 50 classmates, teammates, teachers, coaches and family crowded the Colony High School library to watch Spencer’s move his pen along a piece of paper that cemented his future as a college basketball player. Spencer’s father Luke got him into basketball 11 years ago. His first game did not start off very well, as Luke had to convince Colton that it was okay to get off the bench and into the game. The rest is history.

“It was funny because he made his first shot. He made his first bucket and that was it he loved it after that. That’s all it took, one bucket,” said Luke Spencer.

Colton traveled with the Knights basketball team over the summer and visited Lewis-Clark State where he was enamored with the school, coaches and basketball facilities. The Warriors made the Final Four last year for NAIA and are currently ranked No. 3 in the country. As Warriors coaches called the Spencers in the fall to offer Colton a scholarship, Spencer made his decision almost immediately. Luke and Maisie Spencer sat on either side of Colton as he signed his NLI and beamed with smiles.

“Overwhelming pride. I couldn’t be prouder of him the work that he’s put in, the time, the effort, the sacrifice, he deserves it. He deserves every bit of recognition he’s getting. He’s a great kid. He’s got a good heart. I just couldn’t be more prouder of him,” said Luke Spencer.

The Spencers moved to the Valley from Oregon when Colton was 11. Living down the street from the MTA Center, Colton spent thousands of hours putting up hundreds of thousands of shots. Although Colton did not grow above 6-foot tall until midway through his high school career, his work ethic preceded his physical gifts. As a young boy, if Colton was not in a gym he would be shooting on his hoop in the Spencer’s backyard.

“All of that was really self driven. That’s part of what makes him special is the ability to, he just wants to go work at it and he’s willing to work at it,” said Knights head coach Tom Berg. “He wants to be coached. He craves that idea of okay, how can I get better. Even if I’m doing something good how can I make that a little bit better and so for him I think what’s really cool is the habits he’s created in high school I’ve set him up to be successful at the next level.”

Spencer made the varsity roster as just a freshmen. While still physically developing, Spencer’s work ethic and skills are undeniable. Berg said that the experience Spencer gained as an underclassmen has helped him develop into a core piece of the Colony basketball program.

“He’s turned out to be a really good leader for our group of guys and what we’re trying to accomplish,” said Berg.

Spencer carries himself with confidence on the basketball court, willing to take and make any tough shot. Spencer has worked tirelessly to improve his skills over the course of six years playing for Berg. On offense, Spencer is a sharpshooter from all over the court, specifically beyond the three point line. While shooting has always been a focal part of his game, Spencer has worked to improve his ballhandling and rebounding to become a complete player. Berg said that Spencer hit a significant growth spurt his sophomore year, but has made enormous strides as a player each year he has played for Berg. Many of the players on Spencer’s sixth grade team are still playing together for the Knights, who have proven themselves as one of the top teams in the state heading into the Region and State tournaments later this month.

“That’s our original team right there man. That’s when we planted the seed that we wanted to win a state championship. This is the year that it’s going to happen. This is the year right here,” said Spencer. “I don’t know if I’ve had better teammates than these guys.”

Under Berg’s tutelage, Spencer also committed himself to working hard both in the weight room and the classroom. Just as it was when Spencer first stepped onto the basketball court, his family has helped support him along the way. Spencer credited his mother Maisie with motivating him to continue to work hard on the hardwood.

“She was like what’s your deal and kind of gave me some hard love and she’s really good at knowing when to give me some hard love and when to kind of be a little softer,” said Spencer. “It’s her. It’s big time her.”