Cam Whitmore is from Odenton, Maryland, and became an emerging basketball talent at Archbishop Spalding High School in Severn, Maryland. He was the Capital Gazette boys’ basketball player of the year in his senior year at Spalding.In 2022, he led the US Under-18 team to the gold medal in the Americas Tournament over Brazil. Two of his teammates, Anthony Black and Gregory Jackson II, are also members of the 2023 NBA Draft class.ENJ🏀Y@EnjoyBBallIt’s Cam Whitmore! The Villanova-bound five-star forward raised a lot of eyebrows with his dominating play at the U18 FIBA Americas Championships this summer, where he won tournament MVP en route to a dominating team USA victory.543It’s Cam Whitmore! The Villanova-bound five-star forward raised a lot of eyebrows with his dominating play at the U18 FIBA Americas Championships this summer, where he won tournament MVP en route to a dominating team USA victory. https://t.co/d7HvVhQahXIn the championship game against Brazil, Cam Whitmore led his team with 30 points in 22 minutes to go with 12 rebounds and three assists. He was named the MVP of the tournament.Whitmore was a consensus five-star recruit and committed to Villanova over offers from Illinois and North Carolina. In his single season with the Wildcats, he averaged 18.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.1 assists.As a freshman, he showed superb explosiveness and versatility. He shot 47.8%, including 34.3% from behind the arc. Whitmore was a walking bucket. He piled the points all over the floor and even relished contact when he attacked the rim.Cam Whitmore fell from the lottery in the 2023 NBA DraftMost mock drafts saw Cam Whitmore range from 5-10. Many thought that the Houston Rockets couldn’t let him slide past them with the fourth pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Instead, Houston picked Amen Thompson from the Overtime Elite.Houston Rockets@HoustonRocketsAMEN THOMPSON IS A ROCKET.62831795AMEN THOMPSON IS A ROCKET. https://t.co/u5I83hGmiGWhitmore saw his stock fall reportedly due to concerns about his medical records. Teams were wary of using a lottery pick on a potentially injury-prone player. However, when the Rockets' 20th pick arrived, they simply had to stop the slide and grab the former Villanova star.From choosing between Thompson and Whitmore, the Rockets have two of the most explosive and versatile athletes in the draft. They’re adding the two rookies to a team that already has Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr. and Alperen Sengun.Houston Rockets@HoustonRocketsCAM WHITMORE IS A HOUSTON ROCKET.2518509CAM WHITMORE IS A HOUSTON ROCKET. https://t.co/Wu9IatywB4Whitmore, when asked after the draft about his slide, insisted that his body was fine and that he’ll be 150% motivated to prove the doubters wrong. He also noted that he’s been overlooked for most of his life and that he’s only going to be more determined than ever.Also read: Why did Cam Whitmore drop to No. 20 in 2023 NBA Draft? Exploring real reason behind late pick