Penn men’s basketball senior guard Cam Thrower will transfer to Elon for his final year of collegiate eligibility.
Thrower has been a veteran presence for the Quakers as the only four-year member of the team during a lot of change within the program. This past season, Thrower was a crucial part of the Quakers’ victorious Ivy League tournament run and starting lineup during the absences of star senior guard/forward Ethan Roberts.
“I was really attracted to the guys [at Elon]. They were really cool and really welcoming, as well as the coaches,” Thrower told The Daily Pennsylvanian, “It was a place that could be a second home for me outside of Penn.”
The Ivy League prohibits graduate students from participating in athletics, meaning Thrower cannot use his remaining eligibility at Penn. The Manhattan Beach, Calif. native missed his junior season due to a wrist injury, which granted him one year of eligibility.
Thrower fielded interest from multiple schools, including UCSD, Pepperdine, and SMU. His decision process was about “finding the right place where it’s going to be the right fit, both athletically and academically in a place where I’m going to enjoy my last year of collegiate basketball.”
In February, Thrower expressed interest in pursuing a high level of post-graduate study. At Elon, the soon to be Wharton graduate will pursue a Master of Science in Business Analytics and AI.
Penn men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery notably has a strong relationship with Elon head coach Billy Taylor, spanning almost 30 years. The two had coached together at multiple schools, most recently at Iowa. McCaffery gave Thrower a great introduction to Taylor during his recruiting process.
Ultimately, Thrower cited his decision to join the Phoenixes on the warm feeling he felt stepping foot on campus and how he could “really see himself being [at Elon]” independent of the two’s relationship.
Regarding how he’ll fit into the system and on the team at Elon, Thrower isn’t too worried, especially with McCaffery and Taylor running similar fast-paced offense and defenses and the overall team-oriented mindset of the group.
“I played three on three with some of the guys, and it’s a very unselfish group,” Thrower said, “I see myself in a position where I can make plays and have a have a key impact on the team … I believe that we’re putting together a versatile team that can make a push to have a great season in the conference tournament and also make March Madness.”
During Penn’s postseason run this past spring, Thrower was instrumental in both Ivy tournament overtime wins, and he earned all-tournament honors by the end of the weekend. Thrower hit double-digit scoring in both games, including a career-high 19 points against top-seeded Yale while shooting four of six from beyond the arc. His final Ivy League game brought his college career full circle as Thrower was the only Quaker who was part of the team’s Ivy Madness run in 2023. At Penn’s March Madness appearance, Thrower kept up the momentum and notched 14 points against Illinois, shooting 60% from the field.
“The biggest thing that I learned in my Penn career, especially this year, is how team chemistry mattered. This year, what helped us win was because we were so close off the court and we were able to step up for one another,” Thrower added, “It’s great to see that come to fruition.”
By those standards, Thrower had quieter underclassmen years, but, similar to in his senior season, he was a contributor in big wins. During his sophomore year, Thrower notched 11 points in Penn’s 76-72 upset of then-nationally ranked Villanova at the Palestra.
Thrower’s career is unique as he’s been a consistent presence amongst the highs, lows, and changes within the program. Over his career, Thrower saw Penn men’s basketball go from conference title contenders to seventh in the Ancient Eight to an NCAA tournament team.
“It was definitely an up and down journey, but it’s definitely helped me mature and grow from a young kid to a young man,” Thrower said.
Elon ended its season with 14-18 overall and 6-12 conference records, finishing 11th in the Colonial Athletic Conference. The Phoenixes were eliminated in the first round of the CAA tournament. In the offseason, Elon will look to rebuild its offense with the graduation of forwards Chandler Cuthrell and Kacper Klaczek and of primary point guard Ja’Juan Carr. While collegiate athletics outside the Ivy League is quite different, Thrower will face a similar foe next year, as Big 5 rival Drexel also competes in the CAA.
