Villanova in the Pros: Cam Whitmore Clashes With Wizards Coaches

After spending one season on the Main Line before coming off the board as a first round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Villanova product Cam Whitmore rarely managed to crack the starting lineup for the Houston Rockets. In fact, he rarely played at all despite showing flashes of brilliance when he did, often going down as a healthy scratch or playing intensely regulated minutes. He expressed frustration with his role in a January media interview.

Houston traded Whitmore to the Washington Wizards this offseason, as it seemed the talented wing just didn’t fit in Rockets head coach Ime Udoka’s system. Giving him a chance to play closer to home (Whitmore grew up in Maryland’s D.C. suburbs) offered a chance for the 21-year-old to get his career on track.

Playing against the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday, Oct. 25, cameras caught Wizards head coach Brian Keefe exchanging heated words with Whitmore after a Mavericks midrange basket. The exchange began after Whitmore missed an immediate stepback three on the previous possession. Away from the play while getting back on defense, Whitmore lurked near the rim for a rebounding opportunity while his man, first overall pick Cooper Flagg, stood in the corner at three-point range. After the bucket, Keefe called a timeout and made a beeline for Whitmore.

Here’s the video of the shot and the interaction https://t.co/3N6mmdOng9 pic.twitter.com/XYd2UqJ118

— Varun Shankar (@ByVarunShankar) October 25, 2025

It’s unclear which part of the sequence drew Keefe’s ire, but whatever he said set Whitmore off: the young forward hurled a seat cushion to the floor after sitting down on the bench.

Cam has all the talent in world but he needs to fix his attitude immediately. If he keeps acting like this he will get slapped with DNP’s again & respectfully DNP’s on the wizards is an almost guaranteed ticket out the league, which obviously no one wants to see https://t.co/aQFPR4FfmI pic.twitter.com/aI9acnSlkB

— Whitmore HQ (@CamWhitmoreHQ) October 25, 2025

Just two regular season games into his Wizards tenure, Whitmore already has the sort of issues popping up that ended his time in Houston. Whitmore finished the game with eight points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal, making three of nine shots in 16 minutes played.