Cameron Whiteside, a guard for UVa-Wise's men's basketball team, has made a large splash in a short amount of time at the school.

When Whiteside says he has been playing his whole life, he means it. He began playing when he was "four or five." His father, who also played basketball, is largely responsible for Whiteside's introduction to the sport. Whiteside began playing on a team in first grade, joining a YMCA team.

The journey from playing at a YMCA to playing at UVa-Wise was an unpredictable one. Whiteside initially considered attending a military school. "They wanted me to play basketball and then enlist after," he said. "I had thought about it more and I felt like that probably wasn't the best option for me."

Prior to his recruitment, Whiteside was not aiming to play for UVa-Wise or even aware of the school's existence.

That all changed when UVa-Wise's men's basketball coaches began pursuing him. "They just contacted me and said they really liked me a lot. Said I had everything they looked for in a player. I like how they were straight-up … with me about it," he said.

"I came up here and I liked it. Eventually committed. 

Whiteside is now in his second year at UVa-Wise, and is majoring in business. For him, the major "gives you … a different look at things." He aspires to either work in the realm of business or as a college basketball coach after graduation. His father's job as a financial analyst has helped Whiteside feel knowledgeable about the field.

Similarly, Whiteside feels his experience as a player has prepared him for a career in coaching. "I've been playing basketball my whole life, so I feel like I know a lot," he said. "I could help a lot of people."

Whiteside, who comes from a family of athletes, cites his father and grandfather as his inspiration. His grandfather, a successful football player, suffered an injury and was unable to continue playing in college. Similarly, Whiteside's father, a basketball player and wrestler, was unable to continue his athletic pursuits after an injury.

"I guess you could say their dream kind of lives through me," Whiteside said.

The dream is alive and well. In Whiteside's inaugural season at UVa-Wise, he averaged 13.3 points for the Highland Cavaliers, shooting at 49.6% from the field and 39.6% from the perimeter.

While Whiteside's first season may have been highly successful, he believes that was not the case in the beginning. "I kind of was timid and passive because … I was a freshman coming from high school to college, so it was like a different kind of game. The game was faster."

This season, Whiteside hopes to reach higher shooting percentages, saying that he would like to shoot "50 from the field and 40 from the three." Shooting well from the perimeter is something Whiteside is passionate about. "Scoring, hitting a three. That's my favorite thing to do," he said.

He is not content to simply aim for better percentages, however. He also aims to "lead the SAC in offensive rebounds from a guard." Whiteside has already made good progress toward this goal, ranking seventh overall in offensive rebounds per game in the South Atlantic Conference, and third among guards. He is also already averaging 15.8 points per game this season, scoring over 20 in two of the the team's first four games.

Whiteside has high ambitions for the men's basketball team this season, hoping to make not only the conference tournament, but the NCAA tournament as well. He believes that the closeness of the various South Atlantic Conference teams will attract larger crowds. "It will create rivalries because the schools are so close," he said.

Additionally, Whiteside is grateful for how close many of the season's games are to his hometown, enabling him to see his family more often. During his freshman season, Whiteside struggled, as he rarely had the opportunity to see them. Over the course of the year, however, the pain of separation began to fade as he developed more of a connection with his teammates, now considering them his "family" as well.

Whiteside may be new to the college scene, but he has been learning quickly. "College is about being … consistent. I guess you could say that about class too," he said. "If you're consistent on the court, you're more likely to do better in class. If you're doing bad in class it's gonna carry over to the court, because you're not going to be thinking about basketball."

Although he is only a sophomore, Whiteside tries to serve as a role model on the team. "I try to … tell the freshmen … how to prepare, how to be ready for the games, how things are gonna go, how to do this, when not to do that," he said. "Just try to lead by example."