Basketball Star From Anne Arundel Enters NBA Draft, Projected To Get Picked In 1st Round

ODENTON, MD — A basketball star from Anne Arundel County is entering the NBA Draft.

Odenton native Cam Whitmore is considered one of the top players available in this year's class.

Whitmore announced the news Tuesday in an interview with Shams Charania, a reporter for The Athletic and Stadium.

"I just wanna thank God for allowing to be in this position I am in today," Whitmore said in the interview. "I just wanna thank my parents, my mom and my dad, for always striving to encourage me to be the best person I can be. I thank my teammates and coaches at Villanova University for allowing me and encouraging me to just help me be a better basketball player."

Whitmore graduated from Severn's Archbishop Spalding High School in 2022. He then went to Villanova, where he became a standout for the Wildcats.

The 18-year-old won Big East Freshman of the Year, honoring him as the conference's best first-year player.

The forward stands 6 feet and 7 inches tall and weighs 232 pounds. Whitmore, who turns 19 in July, missed the first seven games of the season after he had surgery on his broken right thumb on his shooting hand.

Whitmore recovered to play in 26 games and average 27.3 minutes per outing. He tallied 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists in each contest. He also notched 1.4 steals and 0.3 blocks per game. He shot 47.8% from the floor, 34.3% from 3-point range and 70.3% from the free throw line.

"Cam is a uniquely gifted player who has an amazing opportunity before him to pursue his dream of playing in the NBA," Villanova Head Coach Kyle Neptune said in a press release. "As a basketball family, we're excited for Cam as he takes this next step in his journey and fully supportive of his decision."

Multiple scouts project that Whitmore will be a first-round pick, Villanova reported.

ESPN ranked him as the 7th-best prospect in the draft, which takes place June 22.

Whitmore said he wants to be known as a two-way player who can score and defend.

ESPN said applauded Whitmore's "physical standpoint and the flashes he has shown as a shot-creator and shot-maker."

The draft analysis said he has room to improve, however.

"NBA teams hope to see him progress as a passer, perimeter shooter and defender," ESPN said in Whitmore's player profile. "Those are all areas he has been inconsistent with this season."

Villanova is normally a college basketball powerhouse, but this season was a down year. The Wildcats posted a 17-17 record and missed the NCAA tournament.

Though Whitmore had a strong personal year, he learned some lessons from Villanova's rocky season as a team.

"Never give up, keep striving for greatness, keep pushing," Whitmore said. "That's what we did as a team, we never gave up."

Whitmore's full video interview is posted here.