Some of the top basketball players in the country have tried and failed to make it on the Duke basketball team – which is what makes Spencer Hubbard’s time on the team so special.
The California native joined Duke in 2020 but had to make it through a year on the practice team before getting a chance to join the main roster as a walk-on in 2021. Coach K gave him his first chance to suit up for Duke, and Jon Scheyer let him continue after he took over in 2022.
Hubbard will rank among the select few players in basketball history to have been coached by Coach K and Jon Scheyer (a topic we made sure to address when we spoke with him). He has big plans as his junior year at Duke comes to an end.
We caught up with Hubbard to discuss his Duke basketball career, March Madness, his new partnership with Degree, the Duke-UNC rivalry and much more.
This interview with Spencer Hubbard is made possible by Degree.
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The Spun: You’ve teamed up with Degree for their new Walk-On March Madness Program. Can you tell us about the program and why you decided to join them?
Spencer Hubbard: Yeah I was lucky enough to be approached by Degree through the Open Doors platform. Really exciting stuff. I’m partnering with them to share my story as a walk-on, so throughout March I’ve been posting on my socials and they’ve been giving me that platform. I’ll also be partnering with Unilever and getting a professional mentor to help me navigate post-grad and dealing with being a regular college student.
It’s an amazing opportunity and I’m really excited to be a part of it.
The Spun: Who’s been the most fun person to work with during the campaign?
Spencer: During the campaign I spent the most time with Rachel Baker and our media team here. I had a really good time making all of the content and going to all of the different spots around the facilities, getting creative with the videos. Rachel and Nick are the easiest people in the world to work with and I’m super grateful for that.
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The Spun: You’re going to go down in history as one of the few basketball players to be coached by both Coach K and Jon Scheyer. How are the coaches different from your perspective?
Spencer: Both of the coaches are amazing coaches in their own right. Coach K is the greatest college coach of all time and Coach Scheyer being an amazing coach in his own right.
It didn’t even really feel like a dropoff, it just felt like a different approach in terms of coaching styles. But both coaches are amazing and I’ve been lucky enough to play for them.
The Spun: Did you consider transferring after Coach K announced his retirement?
Spencer: As a walk-on and someone who loves to be in this program in general, I think my goal was to stay – always – and have the opportunity to be coaches by another great coach in Coach Scheyer and all of the other coaches on staff, then grow in this system and soak in everything there is to soak in here, which is a lot of great things.
The Spun: This may be a tender subject, but now that Duke is out of the NCAA Tournament do you still tune into the games, or do you want to be as far from it as possible?
Spencer: (laughs) It was tough at first for sure. My roommates are Jeremy Roach and Jalen Blakes. At first Jeremy didn’t even want to look at the TV. But at the end of the day, we were super grateful for what we were able to accomplish this year and are more in a state of gratitude than anything
We’re super competitive and you can always hypothesize “You could have won this game to get there…” but at the end of the day, it’s the best college basketball of the year. So we weren’t gonna miss it.
The Spun: What’s the atmosphere like at Duke during Selection Sunday?
Spencer: It was definitely anxious. Everybody is a little on the edge of their seat to see what seed we’re going to get. But we were super confident in the way we were playing and in the team with the caliber of players that we had. So I don’t think we were that worried about our seeding at the time. We were taking it one game at a time.
Coming off an ACC championship, I think guys were hungry but still a little more focused on our next game.
The Spun: What was the reaction in the locker room when you found out North Carolina wasn’t getting in?
Spencer: (smiles) Mixed emotions for sure. But at the end of the day, everyone on our team has a lot of empathy for UNC because they’re athletes just like us. And they get the same kind of attention we do and know how much adversity comes with that.
We were more thrilled to just beat them in the regular season than to see anything negative happen to their season ultimately.
The Spun: What do you hate most about UNC?
Spencer: (laughs) I mean I’m super competitive and everyone on the team would tell you that we’re all competitive. After last year I was definitely hyped up to play them. Beating them was great but at the end of the day it’s just a rivalry.
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The Spun: You’ll be a senior next year. Do you have any goals for the 23-24 season?
Spencer: I’d say my goal is the same as it’s been the past few seasons – continue to soak everything in from a player’s standpoint. But also come into a leadership role, being an older guy on the team with younger guys who haven’t quite experienced what it’s like to be in college or be an athlete. Continue to take on that role and be better in my own right and keep going.
The Spun: Who would you put on the Duke basketball Mt. Rushmore?
Spencer: (laughs) I have my own favorites when it comes to players. But being a walk-on I think everybody deserves their spot on Mt. Rushmore. Being here in this program you really see how everybody plays such an integral part in the larger success that plays out on the court.
So… no one – or everyone.
The Spun: Who do you have on Mt. Rushmore of NBA?
Spencer: Kobe is definitely up there. MJ has to be up there. I’d say Kareem… LeBron… and, some people might get some people upset at me for this, but [Kevin Durant].
The Spun: Lastly, what’s your message to Duke basketball fans heading into next season?
Spencer: My message would be to get ready for another great season. Certainly the expectation is the same every season – to win a national championship. I think next season especially we have a lot to prove. I think Coach Scheyer, the staff and I all feel that way. There’s a lot of opportunity in front of us, especially after this year and the way we went out. I think it’s gonna instill a mindset of toughness and add more hunger to the program.
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