Cam Whitmore, a Villanova forward, missed the draft lottery but was taken by the Houston Rockets With the 20th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft Thursday night in Brooklyn. He became the first Wildcat since Tim Thomas in 1997 to be a one-and-done player.
Whitmore, who was sidelined by a thumb injury from October to early December, played in 25 games as a freshman at ‘Nova in Kyle Neptune’s first year as head coach after replacing Hall of Famer Jay Wright.
With the 20th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, the @HoustonRockets select Cam Whitmore! @_camwhitmore_ pic.twitter.com/PdZRWGeD1w
— Villanova MBB (@NovaMBB) June 23, 2023
Whitmore averaged 12.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 34% on 3-point attempts in 2022-23. He was named Big East Freshman of the Year and was named to the Big East All-Freshman Team unanimously.
Whitmore’s best individual performance of the season came in January versus Xavier. The 6-foot-7-inch forward scored 26 points on 11 of 18 shooting from the field, but the Wildcats fell to Xavier, 88-80.
Whitmore was expected to be taken in the lottery leading up to the draft, but he fell Thursday night.
According to Bleacher Report, teams were concerned about Whitmore’s medicals.
“There have been some concerns over Cam Whitmore’s medicals, which could cause a few teams to pass in the mid-lottery, per sources,” Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report wrote.
Whitmore, though, still has a lot of potentials and now joins a Rockets team that includes young players like Jalen Green, Alperen engün, Kevin Porter Jr., and Jabari Smith.
Whitmore is the fifth-top prospect in the draft and the third-best small forward.
Whitmore joins a lengthy list of former Villanova players who have found success in the NBA. On draft night in 2017, nine Villanova players have been selected, including New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson and Brooklyn Nets wing Mikal Bridges.
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Whitmore was highly recruited out of Archbishop Spalding in Maryland before joining Villanova. He chose ‘Nova over, among others, the University of Connecticut, the University of Florida, the University of Miami, and the University of Notre Dame.
Whitmore was the 2022 Gatorade Maryland Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year and a McDonald’s All-American at Archbishop Spalding.
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