After a longer-than-initially-expected wait, Cam Whitmore’s professional basketball journey will begin in Houston.
Whitmore, who was initially expected to go in the top 10, slid on draft day. The 6-foot-7 wing finally heard his name when he was chosen 20th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday night in Brooklyn.
After missing the first seven games of the 2022-23 season, Whitmore went on to average 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game in his lone season on the Main Line. He earned Big East Freshman of the Year honors.
He is Villanova’s first true one-and-done since Tim Thomas in 1997, and the Wildcats’ latest first-round draftee since Saddiq Bey was chosen by the Detroit Pistons in 2020.