Villanova star freshman Cam Whitmore out at least a month with thumb injury

Villanova freshman Cam Whitmore will be out for about a month after injuring his right thumb in practice this week, the program announced on Friday.

Whitmore, a likely top-10 pick in the NBA draft next spring, will undergo surgery next week.

It’s unclear how he hurt his thumb specifically in practice or how severe it is. Whitmore will be evaluated again in early November. The school did not provide a specific timeline for his return.

Whitmore — a 6-foot-6 forward out of Severn, Maryland — was a five-star Rivals.com recruit and the No. 10 ranked player in the class of 2022. He landed at Villanova after receiving offers from Florida, Georgetown, Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina, UCLA and more.

Whitmore is widely projected to be a top-10 pick in the NBA draft in April, which would make him the first one-and-done prospect to come out of Villanova. Yahoo Sports’ Krysten Peek had him as the No. 7 overall pick in her latest 2023 mock draft.

The Wildcats, who fell in the Final Four earlier this spring, are set to open their season against La Salle on Nov. 7 — about when Whitmore will be re-evaluated. The program will also travel to Michigan State and participate in the PK Invitational in November, too.