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Get to Know University of North Carolina Greensboro Men’s Basketball’s Donald Whitehead Jr.
Name: Donald Whitehead Jr.
Hometown: Hermitage, Pennsylvania
High School: Hickory High School
Sport: Basketball
Position: Guard
High School Accolades: Four-year starter and letter winner; three-time first-team all-district, two-time all-state honoree; two-time Region Player of the Year, two-time captain; two-time Erie Times-News first-team all-district, two-time District 10 champion and state quarterfinalist; scored 1,837 career points, good for second all-time at Hickory; named Pennsylvania Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Year as a senior, and graduated high school as a top 10 scorer all-time in Mercer County history.
What His Roots Mean to Him: “Hickory High School and Hermitage mean the world to me. l’ve built many relationships that will last a lifetime there and it will always have a special place in my heart. I am very grateful for all my coaches who have helped me get to where I am today paving the way. From elementary to middle school to high school; I have some great memories and great times with amazing people which helped my love for basketball grow. High school for me was extremely memorable. Some of the most fun times I’ve had was playing against our rival, the Sharon Tigers. Our games were packed and we always sold out at home. The environment the energy was like none other and I’ll always cherish those memories.”
College Career to Date: Played five years of college basketball for the Pennsylvania Western University- California (Cal U) Vulcans men’s basketball program. Whitehead redshirted in his first two seasons, but made the most of his next three. In 75 career games, he’s made 46 starts and averaged 14.5 points, 3.8 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game. This past season was his best as he scored 19.4 points and dropped five dimes per game to lead CalU to an 18-12 mark and a trip to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) semifinals. For his play, Whitehead was named first-team all-PSAC, PSAC West Athlete of the Year, a Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) first-team all-region, a National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District First-Team selection, and a NABC All-American honoree. He’s also been named a Cal U Athletic Director Honor Roll student-athlete in his time as a Vulcan.
What Cal U Means to Him: “My journey at Cal U has been amazing. The life lessons it taught me to allow me to grow as a person is very important to me. My first week up at school at Cal U,l tore my achilles. This was my first major injury, and being able to overcome that and being out of basketball for so long made me a much stronger person. Without any trials and tribulations, there is no story. It taught me how to be patient and resilient and to not give up even in the darkest times. I am very thankful for Coach Samcomb for pushing me to my limits to achieve everything that I have accomplished. My teammates also deserve recognition who were in front of me that I could learn and grow from.”
Educational Journey and Future Plans: “I earned my degree in criminal justice from Cal U and I am planning to continue my education at the University of North Carolina Greensboro with their graduate certificate program in business foundations.”
Current Program: Whitehead has transferred to use his final year of eligibility at the University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG), a member of NCAA Division I and the Southern Conference. UNCG is home to around 20,000 students and is nicknamed the Spartans in athletics.
Why He Chose UNCG: “I chose UNCG to be my next school at the NCAA Division I level because I had a great feeling about the coaching staff there and what they plan to accomplish next year. I feel like UNCG is a place that I can flourish and grow as a player and become the best version of myself. Coach Jones has had a lot of success in the past in having several winning seasons and it felt like the best fit for me.”
Family Ties in Athletics: Whitehead’s older sister, Neely, is a fellow PSAC graduate. She played from 2017 to 2022 for the Pennsylvania Western University – Clarion Golden Eagles and went on to coach for Gannon University women’s basketball.
Message to Shorter Guards with Basketball Dreams: “Don’t let being short define you. People always tell me ‘if you were 6’3” or 6’4”, you would be Division I for sure, or you would go to the NBA’. But I believe hard work and having confidence in yourself is everything. If you think just because you’re short that someone else is better than you, you lost already. It’s about how you use your God given talents to do what you do well and be great at it.”
Message to Fellow Athletes: “When times get tough do not give up. Trust the process as it is all part of the journey to becoming the person you are. That is with anything in life; be grateful and make the most out of your opportunities. Be the best that you can be by putting in the work; no matter what level of sport you play at.”
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