Whittenburg’s cousin was NBA star David Thompson, who had won the NCAA National Championship while playing for the North Carolina State Wolfpack in 1974. He sought to emulate his cousin and play for Norm Sloan at NC State, where he thought he would win a national championship. Once he and Lowe graduated from DeMatha in 1979, both players signed with the Wolfpack.
Whittenburg became a star player under Sloan’s successor, Jim Valvano, as he was named second team all-Atlantic Coast Conference as a junior and helped the Wolfpack to the 1983 NCAA National Championship. He was a third-round draft choice for the Phoenix Suns (51st overall) in the 1983 NBA Draft.
