#22 Cam Whitmore Stats, Profile, NBA Draft Report, Projection, Accolades, & Latest News

Cam Whitmore, Villanova's star freshman forward.

Height: 6’ 7”

Weight: 232 lbs

Team: Villanova Wildcats

Position: Forward

Hometown: Odenton, MD

DOB: July 8, 2004

Cam Whitmore is one of the most intriguing freshmen basketball players for the Villanova Wildcats in the NCAA this year. Whitmore is averaging 12.6 PPG, 5 RPG, and 1.5 steals in 24 games since his comeback after missing the first seven games of the season due to an injury suffered in the preseason. Whitmore, the Big East Freshman Of The Year is currently projected as a top 10 lottery pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

But how did Whitmore get to where he is today? Let’s take a look at where it all began.

Archbishop Spalding Cavaliers

Whitmore was highly-regarded as an eighth-grader entering his first year at Archbishop Spalding High School. Plus his fan base was expanding. However, by the end of year Whitmore didn’t rank among the top 100 in his class as a freshman.

Freshman Year

Before the start of his ninth grade season, Whitmore participated in a few preseason scrimmages. He shattered his shin bone during the final run. Surgery was needed to repair and heal his tibia.

Ultimately, Whitmore did not play his freshman year. His summer showcase that followed was also cut short by a hairline fracture to the same bone, which occurred after he was fit enough to return to the court from his initial injury.

Sophomore Year

When Whitmore started his sophomore year, he was relatively unknown. But by the end of his sophomore campaign a breakout season put him on the map.

Whitmore guided the Cavaliers to their first postseason victory in over ten years. Plus he became recognized as an All-Baltimore Catholic League first team caliber level player.

Junior Year

Whitmore’s outstanding junior season, which came after being overlooked earlier in his high school career, made it impossible to ignore him any longer. He was unstoppable during a condensed Baltimore Catholic League season, scoring 22 points and pulling down 11.5 rebounds per game.

He guided the Cavaliers into the playoffs once more, but they ultimately lost in the semifinals. Yet, Whitmore won the unanimous vote for the Baltimore Catholic League Player of the Year.

Senior Year

As a senior Whitmore led the Cavaliers to the the Baltimore Catholic League and the MIAA A Conference semifinals while averaging 21.4 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. By the end of his high school career, Whitmore had risen from relative obscurity to starting in every one of the 72 games he participated in at Archbishop Spalding.

Whitmore became a two-time Baltimore Catholic League Player of the Year, the 2022 Gatorade Maryland Boys Basketball Player of the Year, a McDonald’s All-American and was a member of the Jordan Brand Classic 2022 Boys National Team. Additionally, he was ranked No. 21 in the ESPN Top 100 for the Class of 2022 and No. 14 overall in the country by 247Sports.com. Whitmore had clearly become a USA Basketball and Villanova caliber type of player.

USA Basketball

The then-incoming Villanova freshman had a standout summer while participating in FIBA competition with Team USA, averaging 18.7 points on 63 percent field goal shooting during the competition.

In addition to assisting USA Basketball in winning the gold medal, Whitmore was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player for the FIBA U18 Americas Championship.

Before the start of his freshman season for the Villanova Wildcats, his impressive tournament performance caught the attention of NBA scouts and NBA draft analysts, catapulting him to a projected lottery pick.

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Whitmore suffered an Injury during the preseason of his inaugural college basketball campaign

Cam Whitmore, now a freshman forward for Villanova, hurt his shooting hand during a preseason practice in early October. He had surgery on his right thumb and was out of commission for almost two months.

On Saturday December 3rd, Whitmore returned to action. He made his college debut after missing Villanova’s first seven games.

Villanova Debut

Cam Whitmore faced Oklahoma in his highly anticipated collegiate debut. In 20 minutes of play Whitmore scored seven points, secured 3 rebounds and tallied 3 steals. After losing four straight Villanova won their third game of the season in his first game back.

What you will find on a Cam Whitmore NBA Draft Scouting Report

Cam Whitmore Villanova's freshman star player

Cam Whitmore brings potential, strength, toughness, and athleticism as he competes with tenacity on both sides of the ball. In addition he already has an NBA physique that is defined by a strong frame with good size for a small forward at the NBA level.

Offensively he’s efficient and attacks the basket. Plus he rebounds at his position and defends. After missing the first seven games of the season Villanova got off to 2-5 start during his absence. But since his return they’ve accumulated 14 wins and 10 losses.

Efficient Offense

Cam Whitmore is a slashing forward that’s most efficient and effective when attacking the basket. Which makes sense being that his favorite player is Russell Westbrook. He’s also capable of creating his shot off the dribble and knocking down catch & shoot jumpers.

Getting to basket

In general Cam Whitmore is quick and can get to the basket. It can be difficult to stay in front of him with or without screens. When he blows by defenders it’s usually with straight line drives. Plus he’s ambidextrous so it’s no surprise he’s strong attacking to his left even though he shoots with his right hand.

When he’s unable to blow past his defender Cam Whitmore typically resorts to using his size and strength as he bullies his way through defenders in route to the basket. But he’s also able to attack with some finesse as he smoothly side steps defenders on drives.

Whitmore uses both his strength and athleticism to finish at the basket. He is also able to use both hands to finish. Whether with layups, runners, acrobatic field goal attempts, or powerful athletic dunks.

In contrast to what you might hope and expect for a slasher, Whitemore goes to the line less than expected. However, when it comes to shooting free throws, he is at best a below average to average free throw shooter.

Aside from when he’s attacking on a straight line or showing glimpses of quick in & outs and crossovers Whitmore occasionally attacks off the dribble in slow motion when changing direction, especially when trying to create space for a jump shot.

Shooting

Whitemore is capable of shooting off the dribble and knocking down catch & shoot jumpers. His catch & shoot mechanics are even fluid. But his overall his perimeter game is a work in progress.

In addition to the occasional slow execution when creating space for his jump shot off the dribble Whitmore’s field goal percentage from downtown has been less than desirable.

Defense

Whitemore is a decent defender. He’s strong, quick, engaged and committed on and off the ball. Two of his strongest defensive attributes are his ability to force turnovers and getting into passing lanes for deflections.

On the ball Whitmore gets low and quickly slides his feet when applying pressure or defending against dribble drives. He’s built for physical play so it’s not a problem for him to body up when necessary. Plus when contesting shots he’s quick off his feet to effectively affect field goal attempts.

Off the ball Whitmore puts forth a legitimate effort to fight through screens in order to stay with his man. He does a good job of using his size, strength and athleticism to gain a positional advantage. Plus his hands and reactions are quick. Whitmore can get into passing lanes for steals and deflections.

Rebounds at his position

Whitmore is a decent rebounder at his position. He often puts himself in a position to have a chance to secure a board. On the offensive end he’ll crash the glass and battle under the basket as shots go up. Defensively Whitmore is in the mix as well.

However he’s not yet fundamentally sound in this area of his game. Boxing out every time a shot goes up is not yet instilled within Whitmore. He occasionally puts a body on his man but more times than not he’ll rely on his sheer athleticism to out jump the competition in order to reel in rebounds.

Plus he often gets distracted by the ball and loses him man on occasion. There’s much room for improvement on his defensive rebounding fundamentals.

2022-2023 NCAA Season Stats

GPMINPPGUSG%FG%FT%2P%3P%RPGASTSTBLKTOPF
2527.112.525.847.572.156.735.05.30.71.40.41.61.7

NBA Draft Projection

Is Whitmore the Wildcats’ most NBA-ready freshman ever? Will he join Tim Thomas as the only one and done Villanova player since 1997?

According to some sources, he will go in the top five of the 2023 NBA draft. While most believe he will go no later than the tenth pick.

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