Ron Spencer is a typical basketball player.

He's been playing for Union Springs varsity coach Tim Darnell for two years. He has a sister on the girls team and a father who coaches. He practices year round to play for a few months on the Wolves' hardwood.

But Spencer evokes an atypical response from the Wolves fans. Well, maybe not atypical, but no one seems to get more support from the Union Springs student section than Ron Spencer.

It's almost ironic that the seemingly quiet senior causes such a ruckus when he pulls down a rebound or makes a long jump shot. Maybe it's because as the sixth or seventh man on the Wolves roster, he doesn't get the playing time that fellow forwards Devon Brady and Julius McClary get.

During the 2006 Cayuga County Holiday Tournament Spencer found his groove. Darnell put Spencer, who usually checks in later in the game, on the floor early in the second quarter.

Union Springs was trailing Weedsport 7-2 in the championship game when Spencer subbed in. He scored eight of his 10 points in the second quarter to give the Wolves the lead en route to their fifth straight tournament title.

He scored 18 of his season's 26 over the course of the two-day tournament.

The 6-foot-2 Spencer admits that he has no idea why his coach put him into the game so early, but Darnell needed someone to get hot.

“He gets in at crucial times now,” he said. “He works hard. He came in all summer, he did individual work outs, the kid loves basketball - he works hard every day in practice. He's earned his playing time. We'll play whoever earns their playing time and he has earned his time.”

Darnell lit the right fire. Spencer hit his first shot with 7:07 to go in the second quarter to tie the game at 7-7. Just under two minutes later, he hit back-to-back threes to put Union Springs up 13-12.

“I just do what I can do and take the opportunity to help the team win and be a team player,” Spencer said.

The Wolves' student section erupted with cheers of “Spencer, Spencer!” When Union Springs lost the lead in the third quarter, and there were a few shouts of “put in Spencer.” After the Wolves won 39-32 a couple of fans urged the coaches to give the senior the MVP.

“They would've picked him,” Darnell said. “It's a hard decision. Obviously you got to look over the two days. But if I had one more selection he would have been on it.”

Mark Rodriguez, who took home the MVP hardware, had nothing but good things to say about his fellow senior.

“He brings joy,” Rodriguez said. “Everyone loves Ron. We love to have him around, he's a great guy to have around. We've been waiting for someone to come off the bench and step up and he definitely did.”

While everyone else around him reasons that his likable personality and hard work makes him a crowd favorite, Spencer isn't so sure but he knows it helps his game.

“When my shot gets going I feel it come from the crowd,” he said. “The crowd gives me energy out there.”

And that might be why he doesn't want the cheers to stop for attention-getting reasons.

“I think it's really cool; I like it,” Spencer said. “It motivates me to do better.”