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At 6-foot-7 and 210 pounds, Archbishop Spalding senior guard Cam Whitmore stands out on the basketball court with his explosive play. Zooming out, however, and it’s clear the Villanova commit has polished his game and improved in each of his four varsity seasons as he’s dominated some of the top competition in the country.
Already named a McDonald’s All American, Whitmore adds another honor to his impressive resume as a repeat recipient of the Baltimore Catholic League’s Jerry Savage Player of the Year, which was announced Monday.
Whitmore becomes the fifth player in the league’s 51-year history to win the award multiple times. Mount Saint Joseph standout Jalen Smith, who currently plays for the Indiana Pacers in the NBA, was the last to accomplish the feat in the 2017-18 season.
This season, Whitmore is averaging 22 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, 1.5 steals and one block per game as the Cavaliers enter the BCL playoffs with a 23-10 mark. His value to the team was more apparent when he missed 10 games at the end of the regular season due to an ankle injury and the Cavaliers (23-10) had a 4-6 stretch.
“It helps shows why he was player of the year again,” Spalding coach Josh Pratt said. “He does a lot of intangible things. He sees the floor very well. Obviously, he’s a tremendous scorer and I think his jump shot has improved over the three years. He’s just a great athlete, really good at rebounding and can take the ball foul line to foul line. When he’s in the zone and making the right decisions, he’s just tough to guard.”
St. Frances’ Nick Myles, who guided the Panthers to a league-record fifth straight regular-season title, received the O. Ray Mullis Coach of the Year for a second straight year.
Mount Carmel sophomore forward Luke Bamgboye was named the Mark Amatucci Defensive Player of the Year, while St. Frances senior forward Cortez Johnson was recognized as the Cokey Robertson Most Improved Player of the Year.
Joining Whitmore on the All-BCL first team are Mount Saint Joseph’s Bryson Tucker, a sophomore guard, and Amani Hansberry, a junior forward, St. Frances senior guard Bryce Lindsay, Mount Carmel senior guard Deon Perry and John Carroll senior guard Tyson Commander.
Named to the All-BCL second team were St. Frances’ Carlton Carrington and Daquan Davis; Mount Carmel’s Bamgboye, Loyola Blakefield’s Gavin Walsh, Spalding’s Jordan Pennick and John Carroll’s Jeannot Basima.
Honorable mentions were John Carroll’s Cesar Tchilombo, Spalding’s Ty Peterson, Calvert Hall’s Isaiah Williams, Loyola Bakefield’s Owen Fischer and St. Maria Goretti’s Jordan Green and Mike Henderson.
The selections were based on voting by league coaches and officials and select media members.
Each team selected a player as the recipient of the Dave Kropfelder “Never, Never Quit” Award. The winners were Archbishop Spalding’s Johnny Farley, Calvert Hall’s Sheldon Spellman, John Carroll’s Terry Long, Loyola Blakefield’s Charley Hepting, Mount Carmel’s Tadas Gudonis, Mount Saint Joseph’s Jonas Sujeta, St. Frances’ Taion Robinson and St. Maria Goretti’s Tristan Cook.
The 51st annual BCL playoffs start Wednesday with quarterfinal games hosted by the top four seeds. Loyola Maryland’s Reitz Arena will host the remainder of the tournament with the semifinals set for 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Friday and the championship game Sunday with a starting time yet to be set.
Varsity Highlights
Here’s a look at the quarterfinals schedule:
51st annual BCL tournament
Wednesday
No. 8 seed Calvert Hall at No. 1 St. Frances, 7 p.m.
No. 7 Loyola Blakefield at No. 2 Mount Saint Joseph, 6 p.m.
No. 6 Saint Maria Goretti at No. 3 John Carroll, 6 p.m.
No. 5 Archbishop Spalding at No. 4 Mount Carmel, 6 p.m.