DJ Spencer emerging as name to know in 2027: ‘The sky is the limit’

By SAM LANCE

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Class of 2027 wing DJ Spencer is as tenacious as they come. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound wing out of Millennium HS (AZ) and the Vegas Elite Nike EYBL AAU program, has turned heads with his consistent play this summer. He’s starting to emerge as one of the top prospects in a loaded 2027 class.

Spencer is a unique player. He’s a bit undersized for the position he plays, but he’s physical and his contagious energy can change games.

“I’m a 3-and-D player,” Spencer told ZAGSBLOG. “I can score on all three levels, and I always like the guard the best player on the other team, or whoever is a good matchup for me. I personally feel like I can guard 1-5.”

For Vegas Elite this summer, Spencer was a double-double machine. He fit right in with two five-stars, a prolific scorer in Gabe Nesmith and dominant big man in Obinna Ekezie Jr. He was still able to standout and make a huge impact.

“He has that Rodman in him,” Vegas Elite coach Paul Suber said. “That Dennis Rodman gene, where you just want every rebound. You don’t want to just get the rebound in your area, he goes after every rebound. And that’s a gift to want to rebound and play defense. But I call it the Dennis Rodman gene. He has it. Because sometimes rebounding, you can teach it to a point, but when you see the real great rebounders, they want it. They’re hungry for it. They want every rebound. And that’s how he is.”

Spencer, formerly at Desert Vista HS in Tempe (AZ), is looking to bring that same spark to Millennium, where he’ll play alongside five-star 2026 shooting guard Cameron Holmes and five-star 2028 combo guard Adan Diggs. Last season, Millennium lost to Sunnyslope in the Final Four, and they’re now focused on regrouping for a state title. So far, the trio has meshed well. At Section 7, Millennium went 3-0 and followed that up with a 3-1 outing at Cali Live. Spencer has fit right in.

“He’s a dog,” Holmes said of his new teammate. “He wants it every time he steps out on the court. He shows how much he can be a bully inside and even though he’s a little undersized. He’s a great teammate. He’s a great player, and he’s definitely an addition that we needed.”

Spencer said he’s looking forward to the national schedule and being able to continue to showcase his skills on the biggest stage. The wing started his career playing MADEHoops in middle school before heading to Desert Vista his freshman season. Before he got there, Desert Vista was 2-13. With Spencer on the team as a freshman, they ended up going 16-4 and making the AIA playoffs. Spencer has also been with the Vegas Elite program since eight grade.

“He’s super physical,” Suber said. “He has always been physical, since like 4th grade. So he was a real physical kid. And he’s worked hard every year, worked and improved. Worked on the jump shot, his ball handling. Great student. 4.0 student. Yeah, he’s super tough too man. I think he’s going to surprise people.”

So far, Spencer has picked up offers from Cal State Bakersfield and Northern Arizona. He’s also received interest from Northern Colorado. He broke down those three programs to ZAGSBLOG:

Cal State Bakersfield: “Coach [Rod] Barnes, he texted me. He grades you. He always talks to me, he asks me about how we played and my game.”

Northern Arizona: “Coach [Shane] Burcar reached out to me. We had a great talk. He’s a great coach and they have a good program over there.”

Northern Colorado: “Coach [Brett] Cloepfil, he reached out and wanted to know my schedule for the summer so he could come watch.”

It’s only a matter of time before the high-major offers start to roll in for Spencer.

“I know he’s starting to hear some from Cincinnati,” Suber said. “I think the sky is the limit, because what happens is, he’s transforming his game more on the wing. You don’t want to be a 6-4 power forward or a small forward, but what he’s doing is, he’s transforming nicely. He has a lot of wing skills, and on the 17s coming up, he’ll play some one and two.”

Spencer could still have some room to grow with his father, Fabian, being 6-foot-6. He played college basketball at Tuskegee University, and so did Spencer’s mother, who played at Eastern Washington (DII) before it became a Division 1 program. Outside of basketball, the wing said he enjoys reading.

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