WHITEHALL — Whitehall basketball legend Camden Thompson is keeping busy while in town for the summer, getting himself ready for his next challenge at Oakland University while offering his services as a basketball tutor to local kids hoping to learn from one of the best this area has produced. He even tutored a Montague student in May at the Whitehall High School gym; he had been using the Viking Athletic Center as well, but at the time the VAC was closed to get ready for WHS graduation.
"I don't mind at all," Thompson chuckled at the idea that he was helping the enemy by tutoring a Montague Wildcat. "As long as kids want to get better, that's what I'm here for. It doesn't matter where they're from."
Thompson charges $30 per hour for one-on-one individual training, with rates of $25 per person per hour for a group of two or $20 per person per hour for a group of four, and is available in June. To reach out to Thompson, message him on Instagram @camdent10; as of late May, he'd had a few sessions and was planning more.
After that, Thompson's headed back to Oakland to get ready to play for the Golden Grizzlies after realizing during his single fall playing football at Western Michigan University that basketball was the sport he wanted to pursue. He entered the transfer portal following the Broncos' football season, during which he recorded no statistics, and soon committed to Oakland, which heavily recruited him out of high school. He enrolled there in the second semester of the academic year; although his original plan was to play both sports at WMU, he said he never did spend any time with the Broncos' hoops program.
"That was the spot I was betting on," Thompson said of Oakland. "Once they reached out, I was all in."
Thompson's college football career took a hit before he even arrived; the wide receivers coach who recruited him to WMU, Jordan Reid, left the Broncos for the same job at Wisconsin in January 2025. Kyle Perkins, Reid's replacement, came over from Elon and had no prior relationship with Thompson, which wasn't what the former Viking was looking for from his college sports experience.
"It played a huge role," Thompson said of Reid's departure. "I felt like I wasn't as much of a priority with the new receivers coach...I just felt they didn't care about me as much, as a person and as a football player, as I thought it was going to be like when I got there with (Reid)."
It all worked out nicely, though, as Oakland, whose coach Greg Kampe is the current longest-tenured Division I coach at one school (he's coaching his 43rd season this year), was a place Thompson felt a tight bond among the team even during the recruiting process. Given a second chance to head east and play for the Grizzlies, he didn't hesitate.
"I couldn't really see myself playing any other place," Thompson said. "With the connections and how I felt there with the coaches and the whole coaching staff, I just felt welcome, and I felt like it was a second home. Right when I transferred there at (the second) semester, that's what it felt like right away. There's never a dull time. I just felt like that's the place I was supposed to be, and I'm happy. That's the place I want to go."
While it wasn't the original plan, Thompson should benefit from having what amounts to nearly a year from the end of his 2025 football season to get his body ready for the rigors of Division I basketball, time he said he's been spending judiciously.
"I know the things I need to work on after being there for a semester," Thompson said. "I figured it out. I'm grinding on that - hitting the weight room, eating good, just making sure I'm doing all the right things so I'm ready for next year."
While it's anyone's guess how much Thompson could contribute on the court for Oakland next year, he is taking a healthy outlook, saying the only thing stopping him from getting on the court is himself. The Grizzlies are consistent contenders within the Horizon League and drew headlines in 2024 when they defeated Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament's first round, so expectations are always high.
"As long as I'm doing the right things, and I'm working at what I need to work on and doing the things I need to do, I feel like I could help our team out a lot next year," Thompson said. "I feel like our goal is always set on winning (the conference). That's the goal every year."
Until returning to Oakland, though, tutoring the next generation has Thompson's attention. He's open to working with kids of all ages, though it seems likely high school players would benefit most from his tutelage. He is focused on fundamentals and repetition in his sessions, rather than refining any particular skill.
"I know I had to do all the basics, the repetition to get me to where I'm at," Thompson said. "Just focusing on the little things with everyone. I feel like they understand that, and I do too. We're not trying to do too much, just focusing on things you really need."
